Welcome to Wassenaar Weekly, your English-language roundup of local news, events and community updates. Here is what has been happening in Wassenaar this week.
Excelsior celebrates 125 years with ‘Ode aan de Zee’
Wassenaar music association Excelsior is marking its 125th anniversary with a special concert combining music with images of the Earth and its oceans.
Ode aan de Zee (Ode to the Sea) will be performed on Sunday 1 November at Theater De Muze in Noordwijk. In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the orchestra will use images from space to highlight both the beauty and vulnerability of our planet and its oceans.
At the heart of the programme is Save The Sea, a symphonic work by composer Frigyes Hidas. Theremin player Thorwald Jørgensen and pianist Claire van Kempen will also perform.
The concert starts at 3.00 pm. Tickets cost €19.50, including a drink.
Urban skate event attracts young crowd
Around 80 young people and 40 parents attended Wassenaar’s recent Urban Skate event, organised by local youth workers from gro-up.
Young participants took part in skateboarding and stunt scooter workshops, with instructors also demonstrating a range of tricks. Other activities included games and sumo wrestling, with participants taking each other on in padded suits.
The event was supported by De Stille Kracht van Wassenaar.
The next youth event will be a pizza workshop at youth centre Boven on Thursday 8 October for young people aged 10 to 16. Advance registration is required.
Court upholds municipality’s preferential right over Duindigt
The municipality of Wassenaar has won a court case concerning its preferential right over the Duindigt racecourse. The ruling means that if the owner intends to sell the land, it must first be offered to the municipality.
However, the legal dispute over Duindigt is not over. A separate case concerns the earlier sale of the site to Stichting Villa Betty. The racecourse owner, Stichting Beheer Renbaan Duindigt (SBRD), won that case in July, but the municipality has appealed.
SBRD argues that the two rulings have created a deadlock. It maintains that the site was legally sold to Villa Betty in 2023, while the municipality’s preferential right prevents the land from being transferred.
The municipality says the two cases concern separate legal issues and is continuing work on a new environmental plan for the area. SBRD is considering an appeal against the latest ruling.
Messiaskerk Bazaar returns on 3 October
The annual Messiaskerk Bazaar will take place on Saturday 3 October from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm at the church on Zijllaan.
Visitors can browse stalls selling books, clothes, toys, household items, jewellery and other second-hand goods. Food and drinks will also be available.
Proceeds will go to several charities and organisations, including aid projects in Eastern Europe, Stichting Long Covid, the local Marcus Passie and the Messiaskerk itself.
Anyone wishing to donate clean and usable items can bring them to the church on Wednesday 30 September or Thursday 1 October between 6.00 and 8.30 pm. Large items such as furniture will not be accepted.
Questions over administrative culture spark political row
Questions about Wassenaar’s administrative culture and workplace safety have led to a sharp exchange between local political party Democratische Liberalen Wassenaar (DLW) and the municipal executive.
DLW councillor Ben Paulides submitted twelve written questions after his party said it had received reports of aggressive, intimidating or socially unsafe behaviour involving members of the executive. He also asked about an alleged incident in which an alderman was said to have thrown a laptop at Mayor Leendert de Lange.
The municipal executive categorically denies that such an incident took place, stating that “a laptop has never been thrown at the mayor”. It also accused Paulides of making insinuations and ‘stirring things up’.
The executive says no formal complaints about the alleged behaviour have been received and points out that external confidential advisers are available to both municipal employees and political office-holders.
The questions also revive an earlier debate about Wassenaar’s administrative culture. In 2023, consultancy Berenschot investigated administrative culture and workplace safety in the municipality and recommended a joint improvement programme for the council, executive and municipal organisation. The executive does not refer to that report or the subsequent improvement programme in its answers to Paulides.
New playground set to open next to skatepark
A new playground and activity area at the Geesbert van Barneveldpark is almost ready to open.
The former playground has been replaced by a larger facility designed for residents of all ages. Particular attention has been paid to accessibility so that people with disabilities can also make full use of the facilities.
If the final work and safety inspection go according to plan, the fences are expected to be removed on Monday 28 September. The playground is next to the skatepark, which opened in April 2025.
The official opening will take place on Wednesday 7 October at 1.00 pm. Alderman Rebecca Baart will open the playground, with Dutch sports influencer Meester Dennis also attending. Activities will continue until 2.30 pm.
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See you next week!
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