In the heart of the historic city of The Hague lies a unique artistic gem: the Panorama Mesdag Museum. This museum offers visitors an extraordinary immersive experience, transporting them to the Dutch maritime landscape of the 19th century. Created by the renowned painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag, the panorama is an artistic marvel that deserves to be discovered. In this blog post, we will explore the museum’s history, the significance of the panorama, and its accessibility.
Panorama Mesdag is a monumental work of art, a gigantic cylindrical painting over 14 meters high and 120 meters in circumference, depicting a 360-degree view of the coastal village of Scheveningen in 1881. Created by Hendrik Willem Mesdag, a leading member of the Hague School, along with his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten and other artists, the panorama was completed in just a few months in 1881.
Mesdag, famous for his marine landscapes, captured the essence of daily life on the Dutch coast with unparalleled precision and vibrancy. The painting is displayed in a purpose-built rotunda, allowing visitors to stand at the center of the scene, creating the illusion of actually being on the beach of Scheveningen, surrounded by the sea, sky, and village.
Panorama Mesdag is one of the few surviving 19th-century panoramas still accessible to the public. This form of art, popular in the pre-cinematic era, was considered a technological and artistic marvel, capable of transporting viewers to distant places and past times. Mesdag’s work not only represents a technical masterpiece but also serves as a valuable historical record of the life and landscape of the time.
The panorama captures the daily life of fishermen, sandy dunes, rough seas, and the vast, ever-changing sky with detail and depth that fascinate and move viewers. Its ability to engage and envelop visitors makes this work an extraordinary immersive experience, a true journey back in time.
Panorama Mesdag Accessibility:
- Address: Zeestraat 65, 2518 AA The Hague, The Netherlands.
- Parking: ParkKing Mauritskade parking garage: Zeestraat entrance at house number 35-37, Mauritskade exit 4. The maximum clearance height of the parking garage is 1.95 m. There are 2 adapted parking spaces in the garage. When leaving the parking garage there are stairs (5 steps). A platform lift is available. The button to operate the lift is located approximately 30 cm above the floor. You must bend over or be assisted for this. There is one parking space for disabled people in Zeestraat, approximately at the museum. This parking spot is approximately 10 meters from the museum entrance.
The museum is all on one level, but the panorama platform (from which the Panorama painting can be viewed) is accessed via a spiral staircase with 23 steps. The staircase has handrails on both sides.
There is a stairlift (photos at the bottom of this page), but due to the staircase’s status as a monument, there are some limitations:
The lift can carry a maximum of 220 kg (including the wheelchair).
– Only wheelchairs measuring up to 62 x 80 cm fit on the lift.
– An electric wheelchair does not fit on the lift.
– A maximum of 2 visitors per hour can use the lift.
– A staff member will operate the lift.Would you like to use the stairlift? Please make a reservation in advance via info@panorama-mesdag.nl.
Access with mobility scooters is unfortunately not possible in the museum. We ask that you transfer to one of the museum’s wheelchairs.
- Opening hours: from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM.
- Special closing: 25 December and 1 January. On the 31st December the museum closes at 4 PM.
- Entrance: The sidewalk slopes slightly towards the street. The sidewalk is wide enough for a wheelchair, but the tiles are not laid flat everywhere.
- Toilets: There is an accessible restroom for wheelchair users on the ground floor, adjacent to the museum café. It is equipped with support rails next to the toilet and an emergency alarm cord. The doorways are 90 cm wide, with thresholds 4 cm high.
- Accessibility: The reception desk at the entrance is 115 cm high, while the counter in the museum shop is 103 cm high. Both cash registers are equipped with card terminals that have long cords, allowing them to be extended when needed. The tables in the museum café are 73.5 cm high and feature a central pedestal base. The café counter is 90 cm high and also has a card machine with an extra-long cord available. Per fire department regulations, a maximum of 2 wheelchairs are allowed on the Panorama platform at any given time due to the use of the stair lift during an evacuation.
- Chaperone: It is possible that a companion can accompany you free of charge when visiting the museum. One supervisor is allowed per paying visitor.
- Guarderobe: In the area next to the entrance desk, there is a cloakroom and lockers of varying heights for storing bags and personal belongings.
- Rental: Wheelchairs are available for use. It is recommended to make reservations in advance, so please contact the museum prior to your visit to ensure availability. Two folding museum stools are also provided. These stools are located next to the lockers in the hall.
- Guide dogs: accepted.
- Audiotour: An audio tour for the Panorama of Scheveningen is available. It can be accessed and read online through this link, or via a QR code that can be scanned at the museum.
