Scheveningen Obelisk
A stone obelisk near the beach in Scheveningen is a monument to the day Willem Frederik, Prins of Oranje returned from exile after Napoleon’s defeat to claim his right to be the new leader of Holland…
The stone obelisk with gold ball on top, which sits perched above Scheveningen beach in The Hague, is a memorial to Willem Frederik, Prins of Oranje (1772-1843). On 30th November 1813, a month after Napoleon’s army was defeated at Leipzig, Germany, the prince returned from exile as heir to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, landing on the beach at Scheveningen. France had annexed the Netherlands in 1810.
After initial disagreements about his title and position with the provisional Dutch government that had been set up following the French army’s withdrawal, Prins Willem-Frederik was coronated ‘Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands‘ in a ceremony in Amsterdam in March 1814.
One year later, in March 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Prins Willem-Frederik was officially recognized as King Willem I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (which at the time included present day Belgium and Luxembourg).
A monument commemorating the landing on the beach in Scheveningen was commissioned by his son, King Willem II, who had ascended to the throne in 1840 following his father’s abdication.
However it wasn’t until 30th November 1865 that the obelisk monument in Scheveningen was unveiled. By this time, King Willem III sat on the Dutch throne.
Engraved on the base of the obelisk in Dutch are the words Het Dankbare Volk (i.e. The Grateful People). The monument was designed by architect Arend Roodenburg.
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