The Huygens Museum Hofwijk – A Great Summer Residence

The Huygens Museum Hofwijk is situated in Voorburg, a suburb of Den Haag, the Netherlands. This little town has a lovely shopping street, ideal for a Sunday afternoon stroll. But a definite gem of the place is the lesser-known Huygens Museum Hofwijk, a summer residence of the Huygens family dating from the 1600s.

Two famous Dutch figures, father and son, along with other family members of course utilised this lovely summer house – Constantijn Huygens, a well-known Dutch politician of the time and advisor to the House of Orange, and son Christiaan Huygens, a physicist whose friends were the influential Galileo Galilei, Marin Mersenne and René Descartes.

From the museum entrance the beauty of the Huygen’s summer house is not immediately visible to the eye. A short walk in and you begin to see the patterned garden which you’ll learn is in fact designed in the shape of a human body (according to Vitruvius’ idea of harmony and the body).

Enter the doors and discover a rather simple house – nothing too elaborate, ornate or over the top. From the very first room, you will observe that this was a house designed to receive much sunlight – a house truly set in nature (although today the jarring sounds of trains passing by break the tranquility somewhat). Nonetheless, the large windows have a unique view onto the surrounding water creating an illusion of a houseboat on a very still waterbody.

Expect interesting objects on display – everything from books of poetry and illustrations from the 1600s to beautifully designed chests and cabinets.

A narrow wooden staircase leads you up to the first floor and then the attic – a stuffy room with some interactive exhibits – great for both kids and adults. Here you will first-handedly explore Huygens’ discoveries.

Or venture below to the lowest level of the house at water level – the kitchen. This is one of the oldest kitchens in the Netherlands and is still (amazingly so) in its original state from the 1600s.

The spectacular thing about the kitchen is the water level view of the outdoors. Windows open up directly onto the water and the purpose of this was that boats could come along and deliver goods directly to the kitchen. The height of the room was great for easy access to transport carrying supplies.

Lastly, the Huygens Museum Hofwijk in Voorburg makes for a great afternoon trip. Not only is the museum worth exploring, but you can also stroll around the lovely gardens and the town of Voorburg itself.

Many thanks to Kate deNieuwe from Internations ‘The Hague Art and Culture’ Group for organising this outing to the Huygens Museum Hofwijk.