Westbroekpark & Rose Garden The Hague has been designated a protected cityscape in The Hague. The park, covering 18 hectares, has landscaped flower beds with an international rose garden, a well tended lawn and a playground. You can also find a tearoom, café / restaurant and boat rentals. The park offers something for everyone, young and old. In summer it’s an excellent place to spend time with family and friends.
In this Article
Recreation
Westbroek Park offers many activities for young and old. The part with flower borders and rose garden is meant for visitors looking for tranquility and relaxation; the other half is a playing field with space for activity.
Only a few main paths are paved. U may walk on the lawns troughout the entire park, which has been very well maintained.
Tip: During the summer holidays (July and August) Scheveningen beach can be overcrowded with day trippers and tourists. In contrast, Westbroekpark then offers a surprising amount of space and tranquility. The park has plenty of spots with shade. On a tropical day the well-kept lawn also has a cooling effect.
Flower beds & Rose garden
Flower beds
The flower beds reminds of an English landscape garden. Wide strips of grass, undulating borders and large water features form a harmonious whole with nice vistas.
The borders contain numerous hardy perennials, ornamental grasses, ferns, shrubs, conifers and mature trees. The great biodiversity of plants also attracts a large diversity of birds.
Along the flower beds walking paths are not paved.
That isn’t necessary: you can just walk across the grass. The lawn is well maintained and in good condition.
Artworks
Scattered throughout the Westbroekpark (especially the part with flower borders) are about 20 sculptures and works of Dutch art, ranging from abstract to figurative art. They date from the second half of the 20th century and were created by various artists. The artworks are created of either bronze, steel, ceramics, marble, limestone or concrete.
Roses
Rose Garden
The rose garden contains some 20,000 shrubs of 300 different rose varieties. They flower from late June to October; In July, the garden is at its best. Every rose variety has a nameplate. The rose cultivars that you will find in the Westbroekpark can inspire you to plant roses in your garden yourself.
The rosary includes five categories of roses:
- shrub roses
- patio roses
- climbing roses (along fences or obelisk)
- large-flowered roses (hybrid tea roses)
- small-flowered roses (spray roses)
Rosarium Westbroekpark is an international testing center for garden roses. Rose growers from all over the world gather at the International Rose Trials The Hague to compare and judge the cultivars of the rose collection.
The professionally designed variety trials are a good starting point for those who are considering planting roses in the garden themselves. After all: they have been selected and tested under Dutch conditions, outside in the open air.
For cut roses, which you can find at the florist, completely different cultivars are used. Cut flowers, for example, are strictly selected for their vase life (vase life).
Did you know? In a greenhouse, under optimal growing conditions, a commercial rose cultivar can produce as many as 300 cut flowers per square meter per year!
International Rose Trials Westbroekpark
A jury will then judge the roses in Westbroek Park on a series of selection criteria, including:
For each category of roses, the best cultivars are awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze Medal.
There is also an award for the most fragrant rose (Fragrance Award).
In 2010, during the golden jubilee of the Rose Competition in The Hague, a Platinum Medal was awarded once. This award, for the best rose of the past 50 years, went to Rosa ‘Amber Queen’.
- Certificate of Merit – RNRS (UK, 1983)
- Grande Rose du Siècle – La Société Française des Roses (FR, 1984)
- Rose of the Year – BARB (UK, 1984)
- Best Floribunda Rose – Rose Society of Northern Ireland (IE, 1986)
- Rosa Euroflora – Monza Rose Trials (IT, 1986)
- Rose d’Or – Rose Trials Orléans (FR, 1987)
- All America Rose Selection – ARS(USA, 1988)
- Gold Star Medal – NZRS (NZ, 1988)
- Grand Prix d’Excellence Orleans – SNHF(FR, 1989)
- Golden Rose – Westbroek Park (NL, 1991)
- Silver medal for Smell – Westbroekpark (NL, 1991)
- James Mason Gold Medal – RNRS (UK, 1993)
- Award of Garden Merit – RHS (UK, 1993)
- Platinum Rose – Westbroekpark (NL, 2010)
Rose ‘Amber Queen’ Synonym: Rosa ‘Prinz Eugen von Savoyen’, Rosa
‘Harroony’ Large-flowered, double-flowered orange shrub rose about 70 cm tall.
Developed by rose breeder Harkness in 1984. Very healthy growing (disease resistant). Not thornless. For position in full sun. Suitable for windy location.
In addition to judging by the expert jury, rose lovers can also cast their votes, for the so-called Public Prize. You can pick up a voting form and turn it in during the first half of July at the kiosk in the rosary. The rose with the most votes wins the Audience Award.
Video: Rose Selection Westbroek Park.
Municipality of The Hague closes the rose competition festively with the Day of the Rose.
Day of the Rose
- free workshops (e.g. photography, insect hotel making, flower arranging)
- round trips (free or with a package)
- sculpture walk through the park
- live music
- plant sale and swap meet
- creative activities for children
- stalls around the theme of nature
Dutch Rose Society
During the summer months, you can meet members of the Dutch Rose Society at the Westbroek Park gazebo on weekends. You can go there for all kinds of questions about the care of roses.
Playgrounds
Playground
The spacious playing field offers enough space for sports and game activities, such as: playing soccer, badminton, frisbee, kite flying. Barbecuing is also allowed there.
Fishing enthusiasts like to take advantage of the opportunity tofish at the edge of the playground. Fishing is allowed only if you have a fishing license.
On the playing field they regularly organize events.
For example, the theater festival De Parade.
Playground
The playground features a variety of play equipment for children, including a large climbing apparatus (“ship”), swings and a challenging cable car. Right outside the playground you can tap free drinking water at a pole.
Horeca
- Wok restaurant Westbroekpark(overlooking the Rosarium) Open year-round.
- Tea Room The Waterside(near the boat rental). Open only in the summer.
Rowing boat rental
In the summer, you can rent a rowboat at the Haringkade, near De Waterkant. Here you can also cross the canal by ferry.
Opening hours
The park is open free of charge daily from sunrise to sunset throughout the year.
Details:
- The entire park is off limits to dogs, bicyclists and mopeds.
- Visitors to the tea shop may also visit the park after sunset.
Address & accessibility
The main entrance to the Westbroek Park and Rosarium is on Kapelweg (west side). The rear entrance is located on the east side (Creemerweg).
- By car: Ample parking in the area. For cars, paid parking applies almost everywhere in The Hague.
- Cyclists and pedestrians can also cross the canal on the south side (halfway down Haringkade) by ferry. Bicycle parking is available at the main entrance.
- By streetcar (direction Scheveningen) you can get off at Cremerweg (stop Cremerweg).
By bus you can get off at Nieuwe Parklaan (stop Nieuwe Duinweg).
Consult the Public Transportation website, for the most up-to-date information.
Comments
Combine your visit to Westbroekpark
The Westbroek Park is easy to combine with other attractions in the Hague region. Some examples:
- Theater Festival
The Parade
,Westbroekpark. Annual event in the first half of July. - seaside resort of Scheveningen (with
Fireworks Festival
on the beach inaugust)
Madurodam
(near Westbroek Park)
Park Clingendael
in The Hague
Rose lovers who are near Paris, I also recommend visiting the rosarium of
Parc Bagatelle
in the Paris area. This is another wonderful location, with a wide assortment of garden roses.
