A Day on the Beach in 1881

The largest painting in the Netherlands can be viewed in The Hague: Panorama Mesdag.

This famous cylindric work of art spans 120 metres and has a height of 14 metres. As soon as you enter the panorama, it feels like you’re actually on the dunes of The Hague with its endless vistas.

“Around you, you can see the North Sea with the fishing boats, the dunes and the beach. You can also see The Hague in the distance.”

The magical panorama with a view of the North Sea, the dunes and The Hague in the distance was made by Hendrik Willem Mesdag, a famous painter from the Hague School. He loved the sea, the beach and the fisherman’s life and therefore often painted sea sights. The panorama was made in a cylinder-shaped building. Thanks to the light that enters through the glass dome, the skies above the panorama are always changing.

Hey, did you know?

Mesdag’s wife, Sientje Mesdag-Van Houten, also worked on the huge panorama. She’s even depicted on the canvas underneath a white parasol on the beach. Mesdag probably put her in as a thank-you for her contribution. Sientje was one of the most important female painters of the Hague School.

  Panorama Mesdag
Address: Zeestraat 65, Den Haag  
Open: see website
Online: panorama-mesdag.nl

Mesdag