Side effects of the NATO summit (1)

In 2025, The Hague will host the NATO summit. It will take place on Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25 at the World Forum. The Hague has been the city of peace and justice for 125 years. That is why the NATO summit suits The Hague. PostNL has had more than a year to issue a stamp with an international rate (which would also be a significant profit, by supplying postcards as well), but would rather issue stamps featuring Museum Nienoord, or 100 years of the TT Assen, or station buildings, or New Dutch Design (useless stamps!). In this blog, we discuss the peripheral aspects of the NATO summit.

NATO summit 2025: consequences for road traffic

The Netherlands will host the NATO summit 24 in The Hague on 25 and 2025 June. Our country will welcome dozens of world leaders and ministers and thousands of delegation members. In order to transport them safely and undisturbed between Schiphol and The Hague, traffic and safety measures are needed. In the Randstad, road users may experience very serious inconvenience on the days surrounding the summit.

Disruption from Sunday afternoon, June 22 to Friday, June 27, 2025 Road users traveling between Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam should expect the first road disruptions starting Sunday afternoon, June 22. This is due to necessary preparations, such as the placement of road closures. Due to (temporary and partial) closures of highways, on- and off-ramps, viaducts, and tunnels on the A5, A4, A44, and N44 roads, there is a chance of significant disruption from that moment through Thursday, June 26. The same applies to regional and local roads around and within The Hague, Wassenaar, Katwijk, Noordwijk, Haarlemmermeer, Leiden, and Rotterdam. For information regarding the impact on regional and local roads, please visit the website of your municipality or province. If everyone maintains their usual travel behavior, road users should expect a threefold increase in normal traffic volume during rush hour. This means that if there are approximately 150 km of traffic jams in the Randstad on an average day, this could rise to as much as 450 km in this situation. This is the consequence if no one adjusts their travel behavior.   Advice to road users The urgent advice is to work from home as much as possible, if feasible. If you must travel to destinations between Schiphol and The Hague, please use public transport. Specific:

1. We call on road users to avoid the Randstad as much as possible from Monday, June 23 to Thursday, June 26.
2. Use public transport or your bike as much as possible.
3. Work from home if possible.
4. Do not schedule meetings off-site and do not organize events in the Randstad.
5. If you do have to travel, the advice is to leave home well prepared by consulting the vanAnaarBeter website in advance, monitoring current traffic information, and following the diversion routes via the signs above and along the road. In any case, be prepared for significant disruption and (much) longer travel times.

In addition, all civil servants in the Randstad are asked to work from home. Take road closures and/or detours into account if you are travelling by car to, for example, an exam, funeral, wedding, company party, or if you have a move planned in the month of June.

For more info and a map of the Netherlands, read the link at the bottom of the blog.  

Netherlands Congress Centre vs World Forum

The World Forum The Hague, or simply World Forum, is a large multifunctional building located on Churchillplein in the northern part of the Zorgvliet district of The Hague. Previous names of the complex were: Nederlands Congresgebouw, Nederlands Congres Centrum (NCC), and World Forum Convention Center (WFCC). Various types of gatherings have been organized here since 1969, such as conferences, festivals, concerts, receptions, trade fairs, and press conferences. The surrounding district is named after the complex and is called 'The Hague World Forum'.

 

History

Development On November 16, 1953, a Committee regarding the Construction of a Congress Centre was established by the City Council of The Hague. Both the municipality and the national government felt a need for a building in which national and international congresses and events could be organized. In 1956, Jacobus Oud created a first design for the desired building in the style of the New Building or Functionalism. After Oud's death in 1963, construction was supervised by his son, Hans Oud, from 1964 onwards. The client was the NV Nederlands Congresgebouw. ​​This foundation had been established on November 30, 1962, with the national government (50%) and the Municipality of The Hague (30%) as major shareholders. Nedam was selected as the contractor. H.A.M.T. Kolfschoten, then Mayor of The Hague, poured the first concrete for the foundation on June 30, 1964.

The Netherlands Congress Centre was officially opened on March 14, 1969, in the presence of Prince Bernhard. The long design period was the result of discussions concerning primarily the building heights, the necessary facilities, and the design itself. As the other extreme of a possible course of events, the Hotel Bel Air (completed in 1971) was erected in a short time just south of the Netherlands Congress Centre grounds.

 

The completed complex was very modern for the 1960s. It consisted of a convention center with an underlying single-level parking garage, a wing perpendicular to the west side, and a freestanding hotel tower, the Toren van Oud. The original, still-existing convention section comprises a large convention, theater, and concert hall, two smaller convention halls, as well as various meeting rooms and foyers. All these spaces are interconnected by a hall with staircases. The flat, elongated facades of the main building are finished with blue-glazed wall tiles (on the facades of the convention halls) and yellow-glazed brick. The exterior walls on either side of the main entrance are adorned with two tile panels from 1968, designed by Karel Appel and produced by De Porceleyne Fles. After the building was put into use, Max Raedecker was commissioned to create four murals in one of the halls (at the time called the Carrouselzaal) in 1969–1970. However, the paintings disappeared from view in 1992 following a renovation in which the interior walls were painted over.

The wing on the west side partially housed two film theaters, Studio 2000 and De Uitkijk, as early as October 1967. The Maatschappij voor Cinegrafie operated both theaters. Previously, from February 1950, it had rented the auditorium of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag for De Uitkijk. The two film theaters were closed in July 1981 due to competition with cinemas in the city center of The Hague.  

World Forum and other structures as LEGO

The LEGO World Forum model is on display in the Atrium of The Hague City Hall until June 20, 2025, alongside the winning constructions. It is a very beautiful structure, and if you guess how many bricks it is made of, you can win some nice prizes. Is it more than 1000 bricks? You cannot visit the real World Forum right now, but you can visit this LEGO version.    

Since 1989, the child's right to rest and relaxation, to play and age-appropriate active recreation, as well as to free participation in cultural and artistic life, has been enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – yet only 30 percent of adults are aware of this. To draw attention to this fundamental right, International Play Day (or World Play Day for short) has been included in the official list of UN action days, initiated by the LEGO Group, the LEGO Foundation, and other global organizations.

World Play Day has existed since 1999 – in Germany since 2008 – and was originally celebrated on May 28. Nowadays, the day takes place on June 11. Coordinated by the German Children's Fund and its initiative “Alliance for the Right to Play”, World Play Day has a new theme every year, drawing attention to current and particularly urgent issues. Municipalities, associations, initiatives, and educational institutions are encouraged to participate in this day, which is so important for the fundamental rights of children, with their own projects. With Outdoor Play Day on June 11, Jantje Beton, the Association of Dutch Municipalities, Veilig Verkeer Nederland, Scouting Nederland, and Nickelodeon want to encourage children to play outside. Playing outside is more than just fun: playing outside is very good for children! Especially in a time when 80 percent of children do not get enough exercise, playing outside keeps them active through play. Research shows that children who play outside more move more and have demonstrably less excess weight. Outdoor play also promotes children's mental and social development. The initiators of Outdoor Play Day call upon municipalities, parents, local residents, schools, advocacy groups, and community organizations to work together to ensure that Outdoor Play Day this year is once again a day where children play outside to their heart's content and experience adventures. Read more: https://roadtosummit.nl/summit-story/lego-maquette-world-forum-te-zien https://www.denhaag.nl/nl/nieuws/winnaars-lego-wedstrijd-op-tentoonstelling-stadstrots/ https://www.justpeacethehague.org/summit-event/tentoonstelling-stadstrots-2 https://indebuurt.nl/denhaag/doen/lekker-crea-bekijk-nu-lego-bouwwerken-in-het-haagse-stadhuis~366109/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpT939mRBKs  

Filacento (1984)

Where were you in early September 1984? Were you in The Hague? Filacento, the international stamp exhibition celebrating 100 years of organized philately in the Netherlands, was held at the Netherlands Congress Centre in The Hague from September 6–9, 1984. Perhaps you still have fond memories of this expo. Many postal administrations were present, and a great deal was bought for personal collections or to trade with other philatelists abroad.   The well-known little block, inserted into every album.....   The well-known postcard.....   September 1984. We are now in June 2025, so 41 years ago.  

Johan de Wittlaan

The Municipality of The Hague announces: Due to preparations for the NATO summit, Johan de Wittlaan is closed in both directions between Eisenhowerlaan and the start of President Kennedylaan. This applies until early August 2025. Please allow for longer travel times and diversions. Plan your journey and use public transport and bicycles where possible.   What about Johan de Witt? Johan de Witt (1625–1672) was one of the most influential politicians in Dutch history. In 1653, De Witt became Grand Pensionary of the States of Holland, a position he held for nineteen years. Johan de Witt strived for what he called 'True Freedom': independence for the Dutch provinces and a limitation of the influence of the Orange family.

In 1667, as Grand Pensionary, Johan signed the Treaty of Breda, thereby bringing an end to the Second Anglo-Dutch War. For a long time, that peace seemed a success, as the Netherlands emerged as the clear winner. During the negotiations, the Republic relinquished the rather impoverished colony of New Netherland in North America and retained Suriname, which likely offered greater profit.

In the Disaster Year of 1672, when the Republic was attacked from multiple sides, De Witt was murdered along with his brother Cornelis by Orangists in The Hague. This was likely on the orders of Stadtholder William III of Orange. None of the perpetrators were punished.

Two hundred years later, in 1897, Queen Regent Emma and Princess Wilhelmina traveled to Dordrecht to visit the Trade and Art Exhibition. In honor of their visit, the city placed busts of famous Dordrecht residents at the triumphal arch, but Johan and Cornelis de Witt—two of Dordrecht’s most famous sons—were deliberately omitted. The idea was that the royal guests should not be confronted with the likenesses of these outspoken republicans. Another twenty years later, the problem had apparently been resolved, and Wilhelmina, now Queen, unveiled the statue of Johan de Witt on the Plaats.  

No Flag Day on June 21

Flag Day is a traditional festival in Scheveningen, during which the harbor is decorated with flags and the arrival of the new Dutch herring is celebrated. Originally, it was the day when fishing vessels, adorned with flags, lay in the harbor for the herring catch. Nowadays, Flag Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of June and marks the introduction of the new herring to the market, comparable to the Beaujolais Nouveau in France.

There was no Flag Day in 2020, 2021, and 2025. In 2020 and 2021, the event had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, and in 2025, the event cannot take place due to the NATO summit being held in The Hague that year, resulting in insufficient police presence to manage the event properly. Therefore, the event is being replaced that year by the Largest Herring Party in the Netherlands, which takes place on June 20 on the Dr. Lelykade, and a Flag Day Sing-A-Long.

Although the event cannot take place at the Scheveningen harbor as usual, the organization is working on an alternative program to still spread the Flag Day spirit in Scheveningen and the city. The Sing Along will take place on Friday, June 20, at the 2nd Harbor in Scheveningen starting at 7:30 PM. Make sure you're there! Read more: https://vlaggetjesdag.com/ https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2019/06/15/vlaggetjesdag-scheveningen-de-nieuwe-haring-is-binnen/  

Breaking news: World Forum to open after the NATO summit

Visit World Forum after NATO summit What does the World Forum look like during the 2025 NATO summit? Where did the heads of state, government leaders, and ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence meet? You can see for yourself. Because after the NATO summit concludes on June 25, the doors of the World Forum will open to local residents. You are most welcome. Practical information

• Where: World Forum The Hague. You can reach the World Forum grounds via the gate on Statenplein and the gate near Prins Mauritslaan.
• When: Wednesday, June 25, 2025, between 19:00 and 21:30.

Important!

• Do not come to World Forum by car. You cannot park nearby.
• Come on foot, by public transport, or by bike.
• There is a bicycle parking facility at Willem de Zwijgerlaan/Stadhouderslaan.
• The municipality expects many visitors. Please allow for waiting times.
• Do not bring large bags.
• You cannot buy food and drinks along the route or in the World Forum. Bringing your own food and drinks is permitted.
• There is a designated walking route within the World Forum. This route takes approximately 30 minutes.
• The route is accessible to wheelchair users.

Sign up You can only visit the World Forum after registering. When registering, choose a 30-minute time slot. Arrive at the World Forum entrance no more than 15 minutes before the start of your time slot. In any case, do not arrive earlier than 18:45, as the area is closed before that time. Register quickly (limited availability): https://openstellingworldforum.we-invite.eu/#/press/events/zcAjDM4UTcO9ne5lhSPDfxtTOqOZdycx0n16BSL6pLBHu55kFXHpIbci8AVL/detail   To be continued with real NATO stamps.....  

<strong> More info: </strong>

Previous NATO summit blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/navo-top/ NATO summit and traffic consequences: https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/wegen/verkeersinformatie-en-werkzaamheden/navo-top Closure of Johan de Wittlaan: https://www.denhaag.nl/nl/stad-van-vrede-en-recht/navo-top-2025-in-den-haag/afsluiting-johan-de-wittlaan/ The Hague and the NATO summit: https://www.denhaag.nl/nl/stad-van-vrede-en-recht/navo-top-2025-in-den-haag/ Behague at the NATO summit: https://behague.com/navo-top-in-jouw-stad/ NATO summit and security: https://www.nctv.nl/actueel/nieuws/2025/05/06/tientallen-organisaties-werken-samen-aan-veilige-navo-top NATO-summit The Hague: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/235800.htm Just Peace Festival, 12 – 26 juni 2025: https://www.justpeacethehague.org/ NATO by the Netherlands: https://navodoornederland.nl/ The World of Johan de Witt exhibition, until December 7, 2025, highly recommended: https://www.dordrechtsmuseum.nl/nu-te-zien-en-te-doen/johan-de-witt/ Everything about Johan de Witt: https://johandewitt.nl/