What does it mean to experience homelessness, and how does it shape someone’s life? A new exhibition at Atrium City Hall in The Hague invites visitors to look beyond assumptions and discover the people, experiences and creativity behind homelessness.
Meer dan Dakloos (More than Homeless), presented by the Municipality of The Hague from 12 to 24 October 2026, features the work of six artists who have experienced homelessness or insecure housing.
The exhibition was organised around World Homeless Day on 10 October, an international occasion dedicated to raising awareness of homelessness.
Looking Beyond Homelessness
Through their artwork, the six participating artists share personal perspectives on their experiences.
For some, homelessness is a central theme in their work. Others explore subjects such as identity, resilience, dreams and everyday life.
Together, their work highlights an important message: homelessness may have a profound effect on someone’s circumstances, but it does not define who they are.
Visitors are encouraged to see the individuals behind the label and recognise that homelessness can affect people from many different backgrounds.
Portraits and Personal Stories
The exhibition includes portraits by documentary photographer Jeffrey Grouwstra and interviews by journalist Judith Eykelenboom.
Their work offers further insight into the lives of the participating artists, including the experiences that have shaped them and the challenges they have faced.
Grouwstra’s photography focuses on personal stories connected to wider social issues. He is also the founder of KijkLab, a studio specialising in participatory photography.
Eykelenboom explores the people behind the stories, giving greater visibility to experiences and perspectives that are often overlooked.
Raising Awareness in The Hague
At the exhibition’s opening, aldermen Arjen Dubbelaar, responsible for social shelter, and Kavish Partiman, responsible for housing, highlighted the importance of understanding homelessness beyond the familiar stereotypes.
The municipality also draws attention to less visible forms of homelessness, including people temporarily staying with friends or relatives or living in other insecure housing arrangements.
The exhibition aims to encourage greater understanding of these experiences and the importance of having a stable place to live.
Practical Information
Exhibition: Meer dan Dakloos (More than Homeless)
Dates: 12–24 October 2026
Location: Atrium City Hall, Spui 70, The Hague
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 07:00–19:00; Thursday 07:00–21:30. The Atrium is closed on Sundays and on Saturday 17 October due to maintenance.
Johannes Vermeer’s world-famous Girl with a Pearl Earring is back home in The Hague following a successful visit to Japan. After attracting considerable attention and long queues in Osaka, the painting returned to its familiar place at the Mauritshuis, where visitors have been able to admire it again since Monday 5 October.
The return comes as The Hague prepares for an autumn filled with art exhibitions celebrating five of the city’s most famous artists: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Mondrian, Escher and Mesdag. With their works displayed in museums within easy reach of one another, this is an opportunity for residents and visitors to explore some of the Netherlands’ most celebrated art collections.
Five Great Artists in One City
“The fact that Girl with a Pearl Earring attracts so many visitors in Japan demonstrates the international appeal of The Hague’s art collections,” said Alderman for Culture Lotte van Basten Batenburg.
“What makes The Hague special is that visitors don’t have to come for just one masterpiece. Vermeer, Rembrandt, Mondrian, Escher and Mesdag can all be seen here within a short distance of each other, each in their own unique setting.”
At the Mauritshuis, Girl with a Pearl Earring has returned to a collection that also includes major works by Rembrandt. From 15 October, the museum will host a special exhibition in collaboration with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, featuring 25 masterpieces from the Spanish museum’s collection.
New Exhibitions Across The Hague
At Museum Panorama Mesdag, Betzy Akersloot-Berg: One of a Kind opened in early October. The exhibition is the first major Dutch retrospective devoted to the Norwegian-Dutch painter, highlighting her dramatic seascapes, international career and role as a successful artist and businesswoman.
The exhibition also explores her friendship with Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. Visitors can discover her work alongside Mesdag’s own maritime paintings and his famous panoramic depiction of Scheveningen in 1881.
Meanwhile, Kunstmuseum Den Haag is preparing a new presentation of its internationally renowned Mondrian collection. Opening on 10 October, Mondrian & The Road to Abstraction explores the artist’s development from figurative landscapes to the abstract compositions for which he became famous.
The museum holds the world’s largest collection of works by Piet Mondrian, including his celebrated Victory Boogie Woogie. To mark the opening, Kunstmuseum Den Haag is offering free admission on Saturday 10 October, with additional free activities taking place throughout the weekend.
Last Chance to Discover Escher and Islamic Art
At Escher in Het Paleis, visitors have until 1 November to see Escher & Islamic Art: 20 Perspectives.
The exhibition explores how Islamic architecture and the geometric patterns of the Alhambra influenced M.C. Escher’s fascination with rhythm, repetition and interconnected shapes. His work is presented alongside that of 20 contemporary artists.
For visitors interested in discovering several museums, combination tickets are available for Escher in Het Paleis together with the Mauritshuis or Museum Panorama Mesdag.
With the return of Vermeer’s most famous painting and several exhibitions opening across the city, autumn offers plenty of opportunities to discover The Hague’s rich artistic heritage.
120 ethical hackers examined the digital infrastructure of the Municipality of The Hague yesterday, October 5. From the Atrium of City Hall, students and professional hackers attempted to infiltrate the systems during the seventh edition of Hâck The Hague. A total of 125 reports were submitted. The majority of the reports were resolved the same day. The vulnerabilities found included overdue updates or misconfigurations at vendors.
Adeel Mahmood, Alderman for Service Delivery at the Municipality of The Hague: “In a society that is digitising at a rapid pace, digital security is an important prerequisite for reliable service delivery to our employees, residents, and entrepreneurs. We are constantly working on improving the security of our systems. We cannot do this without the human creativity of both our own security experts and honest hackers. That is quite exciting, but at the same time, it yields many new insights that help us enormously. This is evident every year during Hack The Hague.”
Chain Reaction in cyber security
The theme of this seventh edition was chain reaction. In cybersecurity, a chain reaction refers to an attack in which various small, standalone vulnerabilities or actions are cleverly combined in sequence. The end result is much larger and more damaging than the individual actions.
Hackers use this technique to bypass defense systems. The hacker often breaks in through a relatively harmless vulnerability, such as an outdated plugin on a website or a ‘phished’ employee with minimal privileges. From that position, the attacker looks for a second flaw, such as a system misconfiguration or a script running with administrator privileges. By using the first access to trigger the second flaw , the hacker can sometimes gain maximal privileges. That is a situation every organization wants to prevent.
With this theme, Hâck The Hague places extra emphasised how small, seemingly innocent vulnerabilities can combine to lead to major risks. This shows why testing entire chains of systems is at least as important as testing individual components.
Vulnerabilities and prices found
Various cash prizes were awarded this year in the categories Most Creative Hack , Most Sophisticated Hack, Most Impactful Hack , and The Hackademic Award , supplemented by two bonus prizes: Best Use of AI and Best Report . A total of €17,000 in prize money was distributed.
Lilian Knippenberg, CISO at the Municipality of The Hague: “We are incredibly pleased with all the findings from this edition. Hackers look at our systems with a fresh, critical eye, and that yields insights that we do not always see ourselves. We were already able to resolve some of the reports with the team today, also together with our suppliers. Digital security is a responsibility for all of us. This is also underscored year after year by Hâck The Hague.”
Large turnout
120 hackers participated this year, including students and professional hackers. Of the total, there were 80 professional hackers and 40 student hackers.
In the digital society, every organization is exposed to the risks of cybercrime on a daily basis. In the physical world, it is clear where a municipality’s responsibilities lie. In the digital world, this is often still a pioneering effort. During Hâck The Hague, the Municipality of The Hague gains a fresh, external perspective on its own municipal ICT systems. Moreover, this competition day contributes to inspiring students to pursue a career in cybersecurity. This is sorely needed, as the demand for cybersecurity specialists will continue to increase in the coming years.
New research by MultiTeam Solutions, commissioned by the City of The Hague, shows that line managers can play an important role in preventing scarce cybersecurity talent from leaving the sector because of stress, burnout or a lack of support. The City is putting these insights into practice by offering subsidised leadership training for professionals starting in November 2026.
The leadership training for cybersecurity professionals is fully funded by the City and is therefore free for participants. It will focus on areas including recognising and discussing workload pressures, providing feedback that supports professional development, and acknowledging progress and achievements.
“The Hague wants to be an international leader in cybersecurity. That means investing in technology and new talent, but also in the people who already work every day to keep us digitally secure. We want talented cybersecurity professionals not only to come and work here, but also to want to stay,” says Richard de Mos, Deputy Mayor of The Hague.
The study, Retaining Talent Is a Leadership Capability, shows that the working environment and the way professionals are guided and supported can also influence talent retention. Feeling competent in their work and receiving support from their line manager are associated with lower levels of stress and burnout, and a lower intention to leave the organisation. For professionals moving from a technical role into a management position, this step brings new responsibilities and requires new skills.
Cybersecurity Week 2026 The Hague
During Cybersecurity week in The Hague, the researchers will put the findings into practice at ONE Conference on 6 October through an interactive workshop based on the research. In the session, 3 Practical Leadership Strategies to Retain Cyber Talent, they will work with participants on three practical leadership strategies for retaining cybersecurity talent. By combining research, knowledge sharing at the ONE Conference and free training, the City aims to help build a strong cybersecurity sector in The Hague and the region that is well prepared for the future. Full programme Cybersecurity week: https://thehague.com/cybersecurity/en/cybersecurity-week-2026
About the research
The study, Retaining Talent Is a Leadership Capability, was conducted by MultiTeam Solutions on behalf of the City of The Hague. It took place from mid-2025 to early 2026 and comprised a quantitative survey of 86 cybersecurity professionals and three focus groups. The research focuses on the Dutch cybersecurity sector. https://www.multiteam.solutions/
In the fight against crime in the port of Scheveningen, the municipality, police, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar), Customs, and the Port of Scheveningen Authority will collaborate more closely in a Security Hub. By having various enforcement and supervisory organizations sit together, signals can be shared more quickly and suspicious situations can be addressed sooner. During a neighborhood meeting at the hub’s construction site on Friday, Mayor Jan van Zanen invited residents and business owners to feel free to drop by the new office in the port.
The Safety Hub is also there for residents, entrepreneurs, and everyone who uses the Scheveningen harbor area. “The hub is also there for people with questions, for people who are worried, for people who see something that isn’t right. Criminals are constantly looking for opportunities for their illegal practices. That means that together we must act faster, smarter, and more visibly. That is how we make Scheveningen stronger,” said Mayor Van Zanen.
Construction of the Safety Hub at Dr. Lelykade in Scheveningen Harbour is now in full swing. The joint office is expected to be completed in the spring of 2027. From then on, the municipality, police, and Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar) will be visibly present and approachable with permanent workspaces in the hub. Customs and the Port of Scheveningen Authority will be connected from their own workspaces where necessary.
Small unique seaport
The Security Hub fits into the broader approach to small seaports throughout the Netherlands, which joined forces earlier this year in the Platform against Undermining Small Seaports during a meeting in the port of Scheveningen. In recent years, security at larger seaports, such as those of Rotterdam, the North Sea Canal Area, and Vlissingen, has been significantly increased by the central government. As a result, the risk has increased that drug criminals and human traffickers will move to smaller seaports. Therefore, greater cooperation in small seaports is also necessary to prevent this.
Moreover, Scheveningen Harbour has a uniquely multifaceted character with many maritime business activities, such as fishing and tender services, and a lively mix of water sports, hospitality, tourism, and residential areas. Therefore, it is especially valuable to have various enforcement and supervisory organizations located closer together, so that signals received in the diverse areas of work are shared and investigated more quickly. This not only strengthens the approach to crime; in doing so, we also reinforce the living and business environment in and around the port of Scheveningen. After all, a safe harbour is a strong harbour.
