History · Since circa 1650
Landgoed Ockenburgh
A poet built it, the city bought it, a war interrupted it, and today you can just walk through it.
- Laid out around 1650 by poet and physician Jacob Westerbaen.
- Bought by the municipality of The Hague on 9 August 1931.
- Used as a youth hostel until 1996; managed by Zuid-Hollands Landschap since 2011.
- 1,500 Belgian soldiers were interned here during the First World War.
Who built Landgoed Ockenburgh, and when?
Landgoed Ockenburgh was laid out around 1650 by Jacob Westerbaen, a Dutch poet and physician, in a classicist landscape style with a large park and a 17th-century country house. It sits just south of Kijkduin, on grounds that also held a Roman fort and settlement many centuries earlier.
How did the estate end up in public hands?
The municipality of The Hague bought the estate on 9 August 1931. The manor house later served as a youth hostel until 1996. In 2011, management of the estate passed to the Zuid-Hollands Landschap foundation.
In 2012 an agreement was made to convert the house into a luxury hotel, but that plan was not carried out. The building was instead stripped of later additions and restored, and now functions as a resting spot (uitspanning) for walkers using the park and dunes.
What happened here during the First World War?
During the First World War, 1,500 Belgian soldiers were interned on the estate: the Netherlands remained neutral in that war and interned foreign military personnel who crossed into Dutch territory, and Ockenburgh was one of the sites used for that purpose.
What else is on the grounds today?
A campsite was established at Ockenburgh in 1954; a bungalow park followed on part of that land in the 1990s. Most current residents of the immediate area live in the newer Ockenrode housing development, built from 1998 onward. Part of the Sand Engine lies off the coast in front of Ockenburgh.
Can you walk from Kijkduin to Landgoed Ockenburgh?
Landgoed Ockenburgh sits directly south of Kijkduin's beach and boulevard, reachable on foot along the dune paths and the coastal route. No fixed walking time is confirmed for this specific route, so plan with a map or wayfinding app rather than a fixed estimate. The walk can be combined with Westduinpark for a longer route.
Is the manor house at Landgoed Ockenburgh open to the public?
The manor house at Landgoed Ockenburgh functions today as a resting spot, or uitspanning, for walkers using the park and dunes, rather than as a museum or a hotel. A 2012 plan to convert it into a luxury hotel was never carried out. Visitors can approach the building and use its grounds, which also cover the site of a Roman-era settlement many centuries earlier. Check locally for current opening hours of any refreshment facility inside.
Can you camp or stay overnight at Landgoed Ockenburgh?
Landgoed Ockenburgh, the historic estate and park itself, has no camping facility of its own. A separate campsite was established nearby in 1954, with a bungalow park added on part of that land in the 1990s; both sit close to the estate but are run as distinct facilities. Most residents in the immediate area now live in the newer Ockenrode housing development.