• 35 years on & under the balcony in Balistraat

• Queen Beatrix re-opens VNG headquarters Willemspark

• Photos Queen's Day 2009

35 years on & under the balcony - Balistraat

Wil Korrelboom -

exhibition in the Haagse Kunstkring (HKK)

31 October 2009 – 17 November 2009

In 1999 it was "25 jaar op en onder het balkon Balistraat 6" and now ten years later the HKK is exhibiting his work again: 35 years on & under the balcony at 6 Balistraat. Then it was 500 snapshots of people he wanted to portray; either photographically or in a painting.

The balcony, Wim Korrelboom's balcony, is the constant theme in the series, the sitters the variable factor. The snapshots now number more than 1,000.

Besides all the photos, there is a selection of his paintings. This is a unique, ongoing portrait of The Hague: an unfinished social record of residents on a balcony: a threatened oasis in a changing city that is becoming more and more crowded and congested. So far it has taken 35 years!

The exhibition will be opened on 31 October by John Sillevis, former senior curator of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and now curator of Den Haag Sculptuur 2009.

Haagse Kunstkring
Denneweg 64
Tel: 070 364 75 85

Poet in residence in Archipelbuurt

27 September 2009 – A flag fluttered invitingly on Sunday morning in Malakkastraat, signalling that family Jacobs had a “Dichter aan huis” (Poet in residence) in the person of poetess Anneke Claus (b.1979).

Poetry lovers who had signed up beforehand poured inside.

Photo: A.Gabrielli

The poetess not only recited her own poems as part of the annual Hague Poetry Festival but also explained how they came about and how she was chosen as city poet for Groningen at the beginning of 2009.

Poems from her 2008 collection “Dat was dat” proved to have an unpredictable and somewhat disquieting – and sometimes humerous – twist at the end, which was rather refreshing.

Queen Beatrix re-opens VNG headquarters on Nassaulaan

On 22 September Queen Beatrix re-opened the headquarters of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) in the Willemshof on Nassaulaan after its complete renovation and the construction of a new extension at the rear on Schelpkade. In the past he building was used as a royal stables (1845 - 1879) and a church (1863 - 1962), and now houses the VNG (since 1975).

This was the second time Queen Beatrix performed this ceremony. She carried out the first opening as Crown Princess in 1975, when, after having served as the Church of the Oranjes, the building became headquarters of the VNG. The Queen’s mother (Juliana) and grandmother (Wilhelmina) were christened in the Willemskerk. A more distant forebear, King Willem II, originally built it as a royal stables in the neo-Gothic style greatly favoured by him. Willemspark was then a real park providing the royals with a place to horse-back ride and where, later, chique guesthouses were built for the colonials returning from the Dutch East Indies.

The building, which State Secretary Bijleveld described in her speech as providing accommodation for a succession of horses, church-goers and civil servants, is to this day also known as the Willemshof. Mrs Jorritsma, Mayor of Almere and Chairperson of the VNG, talked primarily about its present function as the “House of the Municipalities” and referred to the name jokingly used for it “Vereniging Nooit Genoeg” (the not enough association). A film was shown depicting the various episodes of the building’s history, and the immense extension at the rear on Schelpkade and the completely new atrium behind the original façade created by the architect bureau Claessens Erdmann. A mysterious phantom presented the Queen with a glass ball with which to officially open the completely renovated building: adding yet another page to the rich history of our neighbourhood.

The VNG has published a beautifully illustrated book about the building.

Photo: VNG website

A & W S T R E E T P A R T I E S

Balistraat April 2010

Celebesstraat September 2009

Balistraat Street Party - April 2010

Photography: Karen Kommer & Fritz Griffin

Balistraat has long honoured the ‘Straatfeest’ tradition.

Usually an outdoor event in the summer, this year we held it on Saturday 10 April. It had to be a culinary and, above all, convivial banquet with fellow street residents! A registration form was dropped in the letterbox of all 121 Bali-houses so that residents could indicate their interests. In all 80 replied and were assigned to one of the seven “private” Bali eating houses.

A Meet-and-Greet was organised during the afternoon in the Thirty-Seven restaurant-club (Balistraat 1A); kindly made available by the management free of charge. And Mr Nomura of the Sushi Okinawa restaurant (Balistraat 3) nextdoor treated us to a large dish of sushi.

Because of the extraordinarily beautiful weather, most of the afternoon’s programme took place outside in the large courtyard behind the uneven numbered Bali houses. We were very lucky!

“Oma” and “Opa” Gemstone/Broekarts of Kunsthandel De Edelsteen (Balistraat 82) distributed lovely amethyst and citrine crystals among the young ones who were fully occupied playing games, devouring pancakes and being entertained by Manny the clown.

Besides all this two fellow street inhabitants sang to the rest of the residents, encouraging everyone to get to know each other better and to network more.

A great success with young and old alike was Salvatore, who surprised us with his parrot show!

In short: a formula for a most memorable street party, which should certainly be repeated.

Bravo organisatiecomité !

Ellis Mensinga, May 2010

Streetparty Celebesstraat – 6 September 2009

Weather

Fine: not a lot of sun but dry.

Fine feeling to know the food and drink would remain dry whatever the weather. The council subsidy this time meant we could hire tents.

Party on Saturday

Better than the Sunday, which clashed with other events. Right after the school holidays (6 September) and before the start of the football and field hockey season so no excuses not to be there.

Car-free street = biggest playground ever

Council permit and police cordon tape to close off the street; cooperation from the neighbours to empty the street. The kids had bags of space to play in and plenty of games, toys, go-karts and a bouncy castle rented from Sport-o-theek.

Colourful international gathering

More than 70 adults and children took part, including members of the expat fraternity in the street. The Canadians took care of the BBQ; they had the biggest one in the street!

The party certainly did its bit for better integration: an afternoon and evening full of chatting and fun to promote fellowship and mutual respect.

Conclusion

Let’s do it more often!

Monchyplein 2004 – 2009

First lustrum celebrations- 21 June 2009

The wind band Eigen Hulp supplied the musical accompaniment ...

Annelies from Zuivelland supplied the cheese board ... and the residents the conviviality!

More photos ...

Lustrum newspaper

A special lustrum newspaper containing photographs and historical information about the neighbourhood has been published to mark the occasion and is available at the Community Centre ‘t Klokhuis.

On 12 June 2004 the then Deputy Mayor Bruno Bruins Met unveiled the marble fountain with a huge crane to mark the official and festive opening of the Burgemeester de Monchyplein (BM) complex. That was almost five years ago, reason indeed for the BBM Residents Committee to celebrate its first lustrum.

An open-air lunch concert will be held on Sunday 21 June to which all local residents are invited. Immediately after the concert there will be a game of Jeu-de-boules (French bowls) on the playing area near the Post Office, next to the Irene monument. Make a note in your diary.

As usual there will be the annual barbecue, with a special festive touch, for Monchyplein residents in the evening.