Kurhaus

1880s grand spa hotel, still the architectural anchor of the seafront

The Kurhaus is the grand 1885 spa hotel that anchors the centre of the Scheveningen boulevard. The exterior is in heavy Neo-Renaissance brick and stone, capped with a copper dome; the central hall, the Kurzaal, has a stunning painted ceiling and a glass cupola visible from the lobby. It still operates as a hotel (now part of the Steigenberger chain), but you do not need to be a guest to walk in, sit under the cupola for tea, or admire the ballroom.

Around the Kurhaus is the wider Kurhaus complex of restaurants and the Holland Casino, with the bandstand on the seafront terrace. Free to enter the public spaces. Worth a brief look even if you are not stopping for coffee — Scheveningen's most photogenic building.

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A story
The original wooden Kurhaus burnt down on the day of its grand reopening in 1886. Henri Maclaine Pont and Johann Henkenhaf rebuilt it in stone in just two years. Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and the Rolling Stones (booed off stage in 1964 after a 14-minute set ended in a riot) have all played the central hall.