Oranjehotel in The Hague opens free with a Residentie Orkest concert on 20 September: a family of four normally pays 35 euro

On Sunday 20 September The Hague holds its yearly Just Peace Open Day, when more than twenty peace and justice institutions open their doors. Everything is free, but every visit needs a booked time slot, and the most wanted ones are already gone: when we checked on 17 September, registration had closed for the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, the OPCW and the Gevangenpoort prison museum. The visit still open that is most worth a trip is the Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel in Scheveningen, the wartime prison where the German occupier held and interrogated more than 25,000 people. From 14:00 to 16:00 the Residentie Orkest plays a classical concert inside, on a site where an adult normally pays 12.50 euro to enter. It suits a Sunday with substance for family or friends; the next step is to book the Oranjehotel slot today and then see which other venues fit around it.

• What makes it specific: Oranjehotel was the nickname of the Scheveningen prison during the Second World War. Between 1940 and 1945 it held resistance members, Jews and black-market traders, more than 250 of them were taken from here to be executed on the Waalsdorpervlakte, and since 2019 it has been a memorial centre and museum. On the open day it combines the concert, the art project Art Piece for Peace and a performance with the Ukrainian International Ballet in one afternoon. (source 1, source 5)
• When and where: Oranjehotel is at Van Alkemadelaan 1258, entrance on the corner of Stevinstraat, and the concert slot runs 14:00-16:00. From Den Haag Centraal take bus 22 to Duinkerksestraat, a three-minute walk. All open-day activities are free but must be reserved on Eventbrite first. (source 2, source 3)
• Other venues still open for booking: the International Esperanto-Institute from 11:00 to 14:00 at Riouwstraat 172 with 45-minute taster lessons, The Hague Humanity Hub from 13:00 to 16:00 at Fluwelen Burgwal 58 with stands from Eurojust, the HALO Trust and a dozen more plus a children's drawing workshop, Justice & Peace from 13:00 to 17:00, and a litigation panel at the Asser Institute from 14:30 to 17:00. Most stands and talks at the international organisations run in English, which suits internationals looking for internships or jobs in The Hague. (source 1)
• Check before you go: two bookings in the same time slot are cancelled by the organiser, so fix the 14:00 concert first and place the other venues before and after it. The Peace Palace tours in 2025 were fully booked within minutes and this year's registration has also closed, so do not queue there on spec. Oranjehotel advises a minimum age of 8 and accepts cards only. (source 2, source 4, source 6)

Do the sum yourself: a normal visit to Oranjehotel costs adults x 12.50 euro plus visitors aged 8 to 24 x 7 euro; two adults and two young people can take the 35-euro family ticket instead, and Museumkaart holders already get in free. Two adults and a 15-year-old normally pay 32 euro; with a booked slot on 20 September they pay 0 and get a live Residentie Orkest concert on top. If you hold a Museumkaart, what you gain is not the ticket but a concert that only exists on the open day, so put in your own household and see whether you are saving money or buying an afternoon that is not on offer otherwise. (source 2, source 3)

Where

Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel, Van Alkemadelaan 1258, 2597 BP Den Haag

When

Sunday 20 September 2026, concert slot 14:00-16:00

Price

Free on the open day・time slot must be reserved on Eventbrite

Ages

Oranjehotel advises 8 years and older

Note

Peace Palace, ICC, OPCW and Gevangenpoort registration closed・overlapping bookings are cancelled・cards only inside the museum

Hokimi field note: Oranjehotel holds its own memorial on Saturday 19 September and is only open 14:00-17:00 that day, so do not mix up the two dates if you plan a paid visit. On the open day take the bus from the centre; street parking nearby costs 7 euro an hour from 10:00 with a two-hour maximum.