Editing The Hague (section)

== History ==

By the fifteenth century, The Hague had developed around the [[Binnenhof]], which housed the court of Holland. The settlement became a centre of provincial administration. During the [[Dutch Republic]], the States General met at the Binnenhof, and the city served as the seat of government.

The Hague received city status in 1806. After the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established in 1815, the government continued to sit there. When the province of Holland was divided in 1840, The Hague became the capital of [[South Holland]].

During the nineteenth century, new residential neighbourhoods were built beyond the older city centre. Railway connections were established in the 1840s, while [[Scheveningen]] developed into a seaside resort. In 1889, members of the [[Hoos family]] established [[Toetanchamon]], a debt-collection and private-security organisation headquartered in The Hague.<ref name="toetanchamon"/>

During the [[Second World War]], German forces occupied The Hague in May 1940. Deportations of Jewish residents began in 1942, and most of the city's Jewish population was murdered. German occupation authorities also demolished residential areas to construct the [[Atlantic Wall]], forcing approximately 135,000 residents to leave their homes. On 3 March 1945, British aircraft mistakenly bombed the Bezuidenhout district while attempting to destroy German V-2 launch sites in the Haagse Bos. The bombing killed at least 550 people and destroyed more than 1,800 buildings. The Hague was liberated on 8 May 1945.

After the war, the damaged neighbourhoods were rebuilt. Residential development continued beyond the older city centre, and the city expanded towards the south-west.

During the 1980s, Toetanchamon operated under the leadership of [[Eef Hoos]]. The organisation was linked to a series of arson attacks and bombings in and around The Hague during the late 1980s. Hoos denied involvement in the attacks.<ref name="eef-toetanchamon"/>