History of Winkeltje Kouwenhoven

In 1867, master painter and glass maker Kouwenhoven bought a property on Verwersdijk 24-26 in Delft. There he started a paint shop and sold coal as well. During the 1930’s, as the shop was acquired by Mr Herstel, the emphasis shifted to paint and chemist’s goods. A complete paint factory was built behind the shop. Known for supplying the so-called ‘canal green’ it is however the wide range of sweets that the older people of Delft will particularly remember. Children who’d been given pocket money would immediately rush to Winkeltje Kouwenhoven to spend it on a bagful of sweets from all the shining jars on the counter.

In 1985 Museum Het Prinsenhof took over the shop and rebuilt it at its current location at Sint Agathaplein using the original furnishings which largely date back to 1931.

History Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station

The Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station, also known as Den Haag HS, is the oldest railway station in The Hague, Netherlands. It was opened in 1843, when the Amsterdam–Haarlem railway, the oldest railway line in the country, was extended to The Hague. This line was further extended to Rotterdam in 1847. The railway station was named after the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij, the company that operated the railway station.

Rival company Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij opened a second main railway station in The Hague in 1870, Den Haag Rhijnspoor, for the railway line to Gouda and Utrecht. This railway station was demolished in 1973, to make way for the Den Haag Centraal railway station. As a result, The Hague has two main railway stations: Centraal Station and Hollands Spoor. Trains from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and beyond (Brussels) stop at Hollands Spoor, not at Centraal Station.

The original railway building of 1843 was replaced by the current building designed by D.A.N. Margadant in 1891. A Royal Waiting Room was opened in 1893.