Museum Panorama Mesdag

Current exhibitions

About the museum

In 1880 a Belgian panorama company commissioned the Hague marine painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag to create a panoramic painting of his beloved Scheveningen. The Panorama opened on the Zeestraat on August 1, 1881: from a reconstructed dune, visitors look out over the sea, beach, fishing boats, and the old fishing village. With a circumference of around 115 meters and a height of almost 15 meters, it is the largest painting in the Netherlands.

Commercial success was slow to come at first. When the company was facing bankruptcy, Mesdag bought his work himself in 1886 and lent it out for a time to Munich and Amsterdam. In 1910/11 he had exhibition halls added for his own paintings and those of his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten, who had died in 1909, and founded a family company that preserved the Panorama over six generations.

Between 1918 and 1934 the city used the halls for the modern art department of the Gemeentemuseum; after World War II, visitor numbers rose significantly. The Panorama is considered the oldest surviving panorama in the world at its original location.

Since 2026 the museum has been a Rijksmuseum (national museum): the collection and building belong to the state, and it is operated by the Stichting Panorama Mesdag. In addition to the Panorama, the collection comprises more than 100 paintings, sketchbooks, and over 1,100 drawings, complemented by temporary exhibitions on 19th-century art and contemporary interventions.

Highlights

• Panorama van Scheveningen (1881), around 115 m in circumference and 14.6 m high
• The world's oldest panorama at its original location
• Viewing platform on a reconstructed dune
• Paintings by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten
• Behind-the-scenes look on the "Mesdag Highlight Tour"

Permanent exhibitions

• Panorama van Scheveningen – Mesdag's 360-degree panoramic painting from 1881 shows the beach, sea, and fishing village of Scheveningen, viewed from a reconstructed dune.
• Pronkstukken uit de collectie – Major works by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten from the largest surviving collection of the artist couple.

Founded

1881

Operated by

Stichting Panorama Mesdag (Rijksmuseum, Sammlung im Besitz des Staates)

Director

Minke Schat

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart; likewise with the ICOM card, VriendenLoterij VIP card, Vrienden van Mesdag pass, Rotterdampas, and Dordtpas; Ooievaarspas free on the first visit in the calendar year, 50% off thereafter. The Rembrandtpas is not valid. Tickets online or at the ticket desk; Museumkaarten available at the ticket desk. School classes: pupils free, one accompanying adult free per 10 pupils.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is almost entirely at ground level; a spiral staircase with 23 steps leads to the Panorama platform. Stairlift only for wheelchairs up to 62 × 80 cm and 220 kg, no electric wheelchairs, max. 2 uses per hour – reserve in advance. Mobility scooters are not allowed; loan wheelchairs are available. Wheelchair-accessible restroom next to the café. One accessible parking space on the Zeestraat (about 10 m from the entrance), two in the Mauritskade parking garage. Audio tours with Knisper technology for the hard of hearing; digital Panorama tour as an alternative to the platform.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Free admission up to age 18. Free search tour for 6- to 12-year-olds at the information desk and a family audio tour in which the Mesdag couple guide you through the Panorama. Baby changing facilities in the women's restroom, high chair in the café.

Getting there & parking

Taxis and minibuses can stop directly in front of the museum next to the Hilton.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café 1881 with a vegetarian menu (card payment only); café and museum shop accessible without a ticket. Coat check free and unattended, lockers without coins. Bags larger than A4 must be checked.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Receptions and dinners on the Panorama's belvedere, as well as museum galleries, the Haagse Schoolzaal, and the Vide for celebrations and conferences; always including a behind-the-scenes tour.

Plan your visit