Madurodam is one this quaint little places that is one of the sort of "must-visit" locations when you have kids. Situated just north of the Den Haag (The Hague) city centre, on the way to the Schveningen beach, it is an easy bike ride or public transport ride from the central station in Den Haag. We had visited it once before when my relatives were out visiting us, but the other family found it quite boring... whilst our girls were completely fascinated. However, we took the hint and hurried through... making the promise to visit sometime in the future when it would just be our little family.
Finally, this last week we managed to visit as the attraction was opening up for the first time with different rules for the Coronavirus. It was also a really nice day, so it was a great chance to see the place as it is mostly outdoors.... and finding a pleasant day that isn't crazily windy or raining is like finding hen's teeth in Den Haag!
Madurodam was first opened to the public in 1952 as a memorial to the Dutch Resistance fighter George Maduro who died fighting the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. The family of the dead student had the capital to donate to the foundation and building of the tourist attraction, with all future profits to be distributed among charitable organisations.
The idea for the park was to build a miniature version of various landmarks of The Netherlands, with the idea that the park would follow the theme:
Het stadje met de glimlach
The little city with the smile
... and that it does in spades. It is a beautiful little outdoor park with miniature recreations of many of the most beloved landmarks of the country. Some in their older representations and with other much more modern representations... right down to the various commercial tenants that now occupy some of the old historical buildings!
There is really quite a lot of things for the kids to see and do, and if you are into miniature villages then this place is really going to be right up your alley. There are some hands-on activities as well, but those are pretty basic and not really that interesting. There are two very nice and decently sized playgrounds designed for different ages at the back of the park, seperated by a decent cafe. It is really the sort of place where you can take a walk through the miniatures, take a break for lunch and the playgrounds then continue through to the indoor areas (not open when we visited) to learn some more about Dutch history.
I'm not sure about other kids, but our kids just love things in miniatures... perhaps it is the feeling of being gigantic... or maybe they just are interested in little details. That said, it isn't for every child... as evidenced by their cousins. Hopefully, every parent will know roughly if this is their thing or not! The tickets are a touch on the expensive side, as they are not part of the Museumkaart program which allows free annual entry into most museums and attractions around The Netherlands. Still, as a once off treat... it is a great day out! Just pick a day with good weather!
I won't talk too much about the little miniatures... they all had explainations in the leaflets and also a brief summary in the notes next to the building... but I would be remiss not to point out this building which is of quite some interest to me!
It is the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.... the main concert hall which is famous all the world over. It is such a beautiful building and always a pleasure to work in one of it's many halls! Of course, the best is the Main Hall with the inscriptions of all the composers from history that have had premieres and performances of their compositions in the hallowed halls!
That limousine up the front is for the important people... as the musicians, we get to use the little side entrance...
