The Hague

The Hague (/ðə ˈheɪɡ/; Dutch: Den Haag pronounced [dɛnˈɦaːx] or 's-Gravenhage pronounced [ˈsxraːvə(n)ˌɦaːɣə]) is the seat of government in the Netherlands, and the capital city of the province of South Holland. With a population of 515,880 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2015) and more than one million inhabitants including the suburbs, it is the third-largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area, with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 12th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country. Located in the west of the Netherlands, The Hague is in the centre of the Haaglanden conurbation and lies at the southwest corner of the larger Randstad conurbation.

The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State, but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands which constitutionally is Amsterdam. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands plans to live at Huis ten Bosch and works at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, together with Queen Máxima. Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands and 150 international organisations are located in the city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which makes The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations, along with New York, Geneva, Vienna, Rome and Addis Ababa.

Ulmus 'Den Haag'

The hybrid cultivar Ulmus 'Den Haag' is a Dutch development derived from a crossing of the Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila and the Belgian Elm Ulmus × hollandica 'Belgica' in 1936 by S. G. A. Doorenbos (1891-1980), Director of Public Parks in The Hague.

Description

The tree is distinguished by its pendent branches, and its foliage, which is creamy-white on emergence but turning lime-green and ultimately deep green by midsummer.

'Den Haag' leaf

'Den Haag' leaf

Den Haag', Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK

Den Haag', Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK

Pests and diseases

Although reputed to be moderately resistant to Dutch elm disease, drought, and frost, the tree has brittle branches, and is vulnerable to Coral-spot Fungus Nectria cinnabarina

Cultivation

The tree remains in commerce in the Netherlands and New Zealand. 'Den Haag' is not known to have been introduced to North America.

Notable trees

The UK TROBI Champion grows at Preston Park in Brighton, measuring 14 m high by 77 cm d.b.h. in 2009.