During the construction of the new Spuiplein in The Hague, an old piece of the city has been discovered. These parts of walls and watercourses are from the 17th century and belonged to houses and yards when this was still a harbour quarter. They appear to fit well on old maps of Spuiplein. Archaeologists discovered the remains when removing old sewers, cables and pipes.
Through extensive preliminary research, archaeologists and contractors already took this possibility into account, allowing time and space to examine everything properly. The wall remains will not be demolished but preserved in the ground now that the investigation is complete.
Jeroen van Zoolingen, archaeologist of the municipality: ‘Although we already took this into account, it is of course still special when we actually find these remains. The remains can also just stay put because deep digging is not necessary for the construction of the new square.’
The Spuiplein through time
Old maps of The Hague show how the square has changed over the years. A painting by Elandts from 1663 (after an original from 1570) shows mainly detached houses along the quays on the Spui. In 1616, the situation was already very different: the east side of the Spui was densely built up and canals were dug and quays constructed. Alleys were the access to the yards behind the residential and warehouses. Spuiplein used to be on a kind of island, surrounded by water from the Turfmarkt, the Lage Zand, the Schedeldoekshaven and the Spui.
New layout of Spuiplein
The square in front of the city hall will be redesigned. The new square will offer plenty of space for greenery and water, with various seats and benches and open spaces for small events.
Want to know more about Spuiplein?
On the website of Archeologie Den Haag you can read more about the discovery on the Spuiplein (in Dutch):
https://archeologie.denhaag.nl
Images provided by Gemeente Den Haag