Street signs
The area where one lives is always shaped by the historical experiences of the area. The same goes for Vroondaal. It was once an agricultural area of the “vronen”, surrounded by the hunting grounds of the nobility. Stadtholders, Counts and Dukes built their castles and hunting lodges in our region. By way of the street names of Vroondaal we introduce the noblemen and their spouse, the illustrious inhabitants of days gone by.
The name Vroondaal is derived from the early Middle Ages (about 500 to 1500), when free peasants, the so-called “Vronen”, managed and lived on large estates. The current Vroondaal refers to the space and freedom of this period.
Vroonhoevelaan
A vroonhof or vroonhoeve was in the Middle Ages the hoeve (“manor” or “farm”) of a lord, from which the surrounding agricultural area was exploited, partly through a manorial system with serfs. The serfs were farmers that had certain obligations to a lord. They did not own their land, but had certain rights of land use.
Nederhoflaan
Between 1621 and 1648, the “Honselersdijk” palace was built on order of Stadtholder Frederik Hendrik, son of William of Orange and Louise de Coligny. The building was constructed according to a U-shaped plan, exactly in the style of the French castles of the time. Well-known artists, such as Gerard of Honthorst and Rembrandt, have contributed to the decorations of the pleasure palace. Renowned architects such as Jacob of Campen and Pieter Post also contributed to the construction of the palace. On both of its sides service buildings were erected: the “Domeinkwartier” and the “Nederhof”. The Nederhof, or the so-called Basse Court (Lower Court), was entirely oriented towards the garden. Frederik Hendrik and his wife Amalia of Solms continued to live at the “Oude Hof” (Old Court) at Noordeinde in The Hague. After his death in 1647, Honselersdijk was not yet fully finished. Once completed, the royal family mainly used the palace as a hunting lodge, guest house and art gallery. Honselersdijk palace was made suitable for occupation by William III and Mary Stuart around 1680. The palace was later, from the 18th century, used as a state prison, a military hospital and school. In 1815, shortly after the transfer of power to King William I, Honslersdijk was, except for service buildings, demolished. Thanks to a restoration in 1975, there are still some remnants of what was once a magnificent palace.
Vrouwe Meilendislaan
Vrouwe (Lady) Meilendis was owner of the land that would later form the basis of The Hague. After her death in 1229, Dirk Wassenaar sold land to Count Floris IV of Holland, where previously ‘the Court’ of Lady Meilendis had stood. Floris V built a residential quarter here. His son, Count William II, started in 1248 with the reconstruction of the castle from a hunting lodge into a functional government centre: the future Binnenhof.
Gravin Machteldlaan
Gravin (Countess) Matilda of Brabant (1197-1267) was married to Count Floris IV of Holland. They had 6 children. Gravenzande got city rights In 1246 at the request of the Countess Matilda. She donated a Madonna statue to the church of Gravenzande.
Gravin Margarethalaan
Margaretha of Holland (1234 -1276) was a daughter of Count Floris IV. She lived, together with her husband Hermann I von Henneberg-Coburg, in Coburg and in the “De Hooghe Werf” castle in Loosduinen. They had three children. Her name is connected to the legend of “The miracle of Loosduinen”: in the year of her death, she would have given birth to 364 (or 365) children. After she had reproached a poor mother of twins that it was impossible that both children had the same father, this woman made the wish that Margaretha would give birth to as many children as there are days in a year. All boys were called Jan and all the girls named Elizabeth. All children were baptized in two baptismal vonts, after which they died and were buried along with their mother. Afterwards Loosduinen was for some time a place of pilgrimage.
Dirk van Wassenaarlaan
Dirk of Wassenaar (1205-1243) sold land in 1229 to Count Floris IV, where the future The Hague would arise.
Graaf Florislaan
Floris I, Count of Holland, 1049-1061; Floris II, Count 1091-1121; Floris III, Count 1157-1190; Floris IV, 1210-1234, Count 1222-1234; Floris V, 1254-1296, Count 1256-1296.
Count Floris IV bought the (dilapidated) hunting lodge near a dunelake of Dirk of Wassenaar and his spouse Lady Meilendis of Wassenaar. The hunting lodge does not exist anymore. The lake does, and is now known as Hofvijver.
Gravin Jacobalaan
Jacob van Beieren, 1401-1436, Duchess of Beieren and Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Henegouwen from 1417-1433. The Hoekse and Kabeljauwse disputes reached a peak under her rule. After four marriages, all of which were doomed to fail, she died of consumption at the age of 35. She was interred in the family grave in the court chapel in The Hague.
Graaf Arnulfpad
Count Arnulf of Holland (988-993) was the son of Dirk II and Hildegard of Flanders. Arnulf married Liutgard of Luxembourg in 980. He probably acquired the title of Count at this occassion. This marriage led to 2 children, Dirk III and Sicco.
Graaf Gerolfpad
Count Gerolf is the oldest known Count of Holland, first mentioned in 885-889. The roots of Count Gerolf or Count Frisia are not precisely known. There are indications that he is a descendant of the Frisian king Radboud, which would explain why he was considered among the highest state nobility.
Graaf Janpad
Count Floris V of Holland arranged for his son Count Jan, directly after his birth in 1284, to marry Elizabeth, the daughter of the English king. King Edward I demanded that Jan would be raised in England from his 7th year onwards. Count Floris V brought his son to the English court in 1290. Jan married the 14-year-old Elisabeth on 7 January 1297 in Ipswich. On November 10, 1297, the 15-year old Count John suddenly dies. He is buried in the monastery of Rijnsburg.
Graaf Willempad
Count William II of Holland (1227-28/1/1256) was the son of Floris IV and Machteld of Brabant. At age seven, he succeeded his father, when he was killed at a tournament in 1234 in the French town Corbie. A brother of his deceased father, also named William, and successively the other brother, Otto, Bishop of Utrecht, became regents.
Hugo Coenraadspad
Hugo Coenraads, Lord of Monster, 2nd half 13th century.
Hertog Albrechtlaan
Albrecht I of Saxony was a younger son of Bernard III Duke of Saxony and Judith of Poland. After the death of his father in 1212, he became Duke of Saxony. Albrecht was married to Agnes of Austria (1200-1226), Agnes of Thuringia in 1229 and Helena of Brunswick in 1247. He was the father of 3 sons and 6 daughters.
Gravin Petronillalaan
Through her marriage to Floris II around 1100, Petronilla of Saksen became Countess of Holland. Floris and she had four children. After her husband’s early death in 1122, she held the regency for her son, Count Dirk VI of Holland, even after his majority because she did not consider him fit to rule.
Beatrijslaan
Possibly Beatrice of Flanders (1253-1296), married to Floris V, Count of Holland. They had nine children, of which only one son and one daughter reached adulthood. The marriage between her and Floris V was to end the battle between Holland and Flanders for Zeeland. Without success, because in 1290 and 1295 there were two more wars.