PARC Sound Walk

Posted on November 21, 2024November 21, 2024 by GPL

Silent Listening Walk on November 22, 2024

The Hague is a very unusual urban landscape. I’ve always been intrigued by its discretion. So much is hidden from the public – there is a secretive aspect to this city of politics and walls and diplomats and finance and hidden wealth. Plus seagulls, trams, pigeons, some water, and always wind. Let’s take a walk together through the centrum, and listen to the city, as if it were a musical composition – it’s a great way to discover more than meets the eye. This ‘silent walk’ is also a ‘slow walk’, and lasts a quarter of an hour. But you can do your own version anytime, at your own pace.

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This is a silent walking tour created for PARC. There are multiple versions of this walk. All walkers depart from the KABK, and finish at the Amare Building (Royal Conservatory/KC).

INSTRUCTIONS
We will walk through the city quietly, listening to the sounds around us, for about 15 minutes.

Turn off your phone, and focus on your senses. Of course the visual, because the architecture is varied and interesting. But also the sound, and the smells…sometimes just close your eyes, and stand still, and LISTEN to the city.

Most places in the center of Den Haag share certain sounds: auto and delivery traffic, lots of bicycles, pedestrians, the sounds of trams and their bells. Then there are sounds that are periodic, such as the bells and the carillon which ring on the hour and quarter hour. And there are weather sounds, such as the wind and the rain, and the rustle of trees and leaves. And there are the post-covid sounds, like the air-conditioning systems which now run day and night at maximum speed.

But some spaces also have their own sounds, such as the lapping of water from small canals, or the sound of fountains, extra traffic, or restaurant and café sounds, in the openness of a few large spaces, and the discretion of many small courtyards.

What do these sounds say about power? …about segregation between public and private? …about walls, about government, about finance, about history, whether real or imagined?
MAP of some places we will visit

3. PLACES OF INTEREST THAT WE MIGHT VISIT (maybe not in this order)

Vijfer
The vijfer, or pond, has been this way for many centuries. It’s the largest open space in The Hague, except for the Malieveld, I guess. The sunsets are exceptional from here, and you often see photographers setting up their cameras for that perfect pic on summer nights.

Binnenhof
The Houses of Parliament form a wall to one side of the vijfer, resembling a medieval castle, though many of the buildings are more recent. I find it strange that all the buildings are turned inwards, to their courtyard. The Mauritshuis is a private mansion with a colonial burden, which now is public and houses one of the world’s impressive art collections. Normally it’s crowded, but during the covid crisis, it’s been a treat to see the art without all the tourists.

The pointless Island without a Name (but with a history!)
This island has no name, but has been used by protesters over the years for various causes. There is no way to get there, and nothing to do if you did. Often it looks very overgrown and messy. It’s in plain sight, but kind of doesn’t exist. Why is it there at all?

Ministry of Finances (fountain)
Thousands of people walk by this subtle fountain every day, and no one notices it. You have to get really close to appreciate it. It’s a shame that the bikes are in the way.

Ministry of Finance (courtyard)
The courtyard is also called the Platanenhof, after the trees. The building has a winter garden (which you can’t visit unfortunately) with a soaring atrium. The public garden has planters shaped like ovals, each with grass and a light and a tree.