History
History of Kijkduin
An independent municipality, a wartime demolition, a modernist experiment, and a still-unfinished rebuild. In roughly that order.
- Kijkduin was part of the independent municipality of Loosduinen from 1811 until 1923.
- Around 1900 it was not much smaller than Scheveningen; the growth spurt that followed happened there, not here.
- The Second World War Atlantikwall demolished about half of Kijkduin's buildings.
- Nieuw Kijkduin, the current rebuild of the boulevard area, is largely complete as of mid-2026.
What does the name Kijkduin actually mean?
Kijkduin literally means "look-dune": a general Dutch term for a lookout or observation point on a dune, a name shared with several other spots, not one that belongs only to this place. Several other locations along the Dutch coast carry the same name, including spots near Renesse, Den Helder, and Huisduinen, where the 1673 naval Battle of Kijkduin was fought. The Hague itself once had a second Kijkduin, on the site of today's Frederikkazerne near the Hubertuspark.
Kijkduin also has an unofficial coat of arms of unclear origin: three dunes with the head of The Hague's stork looking out over them.
When was Kijkduin part of an independent municipality?
From 1811 to 1923, Kijkduin was part of the independent municipality of Loosduinen. In 1923, Loosduinen was voluntarily annexed by The Hague, which needed the space for housing. That annexation is the administrative starting point for Kijkduin's development as part of the city rather than a separate village.
Loosduinen had ambitions for Kijkduin even before the annexation: the municipality wanted to develop it as a seaside resort with Scheveningen as its model, building a bathhouse and pushing for a tram connection. It's worth remembering that around 1900, Kijkduin was not much smaller than Scheveningen; the explosive growth Scheveningen saw afterwards simply never happened here, which is the real reason the two seaside districts feel so different today.
How did Kijkduin first become reachable by public transport?
In 1888, the WSM company ran a steam tram between Loosduinen and Kijkduin, operating only in the summer months. The Tramstraat in Loosduinen still recalls this line today; the branch closed in 1928. Plans for an electric tram or a RandstadRail connection to Kijkduin have come up repeatedly since, but none have been carried out.
| Line | History |
|---|---|
| Line 4 → M → 24 | The Hague's second HTM city bus line, opened 1925 to Kijkduin as line 4; renamed line M in 1927, then line 24 in 1955 |
| Line 23 | Serving Kijkduin since 1971; summer-only since 2019 |
| Line 26 | Serving Kijkduin since the mid-1990s, initially summer-only |
What did the Second World War do to Kijkduin?
Constructing the Atlantikwall, Germany's coastal defence system, led to the demolition of roughly half of Kijkduin's buildings, including much of the Meer en Bosch villa park. From 1944, V2 rockets were launched at London from the neighbouring Landgoed Ockenburgh. After the war, only a handful of beach cafes and an Indonesian restaurant remained standing.
The fuller story, including the still-intact Widerstandsnest 67 bunker, is covered on the Atlantikwall bunkers page.
Who designed Kijkduin's early modern villas?
In 1923, before the wartime destruction, the first new houses in Kijkduin were modern villas designed by Jan Duiker and Bernard Bijvoet, built by contractor Joh. D. van der Houwen and influenced by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Duiker is a leading figure of Het Nieuwe Bouwen, the Dutch modernist movement: an architecture story most visitors never connect to a beach town.
More on this on the modernist villas page.
How was Kijkduin rebuilt after the war?
Rebuilding was slow and shaped by more than the war alone: the 1953 North Sea flood delayed coastal reinforcement work, which was not completed until 1968. That year, the Machiel Vrijenhoeklaan was extended to the campsite and large car parks were laid out on either side. The built environment that resulted followed a plan adapted in 1962 by Frits van der Sluijs, architect and director of The Hague's municipal Department for Urban Development.
Fourteen wooden "Austrian houses" (Oostenrijkse woningen), built shortly after the war, still stand in Kijkduin from this period. In 2004, one of the district's lookout towers (originally a light structure) was moved by helicopter to Hoek van Holland because the municipality of The Hague could not fund the maintenance it needed.
How did the Nieuw Kijkduin redevelopment start?
Nieuw Kijkduin is the redevelopment of Kijkduin's old, low boulevard buildings into around twelve apartment blocks of five to ten storeys with shops, hospitality and housing, coordinated with the municipality of The Hague. A concept masterplan was presented in 2009, with detailed plans published in 2017; original expectations pointed to completion around 2023. For the current status of the project, see the dedicated Nieuw Kijkduin page.
Any lighter history worth knowing?
In August 2016, Kijkduin was informally declared the "Pokémon capital" of the Netherlands after the district was flooded with Pokémon Go players; a Pokémon-themed pole briefly stood on the beach. The municipality was enthusiastic at first, then walked that back as the crowds caused problems. On a more permanent note, Kijkduin is also home to the campus of the International School of The Hague, part of Stichting Het Rijnlands Lyceum: relevant if you're relocating with children rather than just visiting for the day.
Last updated: 11 August 2026 · Sources