In the 19th century large 360 degrees panoramas of landscapes or dramatic events like the battle of Waterloo became popular in cities around Europe.

 

In 1880 a Belgian company hired Hendrik Willem Mesdag to paint a huge panorama of Scheveningen, at that time a small fishing village just north of The Hague.

Mesdag, a renowned seascape painter, finished the job in half a year and the panorama opened in 1881.

 

The dimensions of the canvas are 14 by 120 meters and 40 meters in diameter.

The painting is mainly lit by natural light so the tones and darkness change with the weather.

Real sand dunes and several objects in the sand add to the realistic impression.

Vincent van Gogh visited in 1881 and called it a most beautyful sensation.

 

Artistically it was a success but financially  a disaster. Mesdag had money and bought the panorama when the Belgian company went bust in 1886.

Today it is the oldest panorama of that time still in operation.

 

We visited in February 2016 and like van Gogh were quite impressed.