King Willem-Alexander visits most beautiful orange street

On Thursday, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands made a surprise visit to the street winner of the “Most beautiful orange street” prize. The prize was created to highten the sense of community during the Euro2020 football championships and was awarded to Marktweg in The Hague. 

His Majesty and the Mayor of The Hague, Mr Jan van Zanen, received a tour of the street, which was decorated by brothers Danny and Raymond Zwennes. The pair concluded the visit with a stop at a garden house where residents can watch the matches of the championship.

The brothers have been in charge of decorating the Marktweg for football championships for the past 30 years. They consult with residents on the style of decor and work with local businesses to collect funds for the initiative. Finally, the whole neighbourhood pools together to put up the decorations. 

The Dutch team has already played two matches during the Euro2020 championship and is set to play its third match on the 21st of June. The Netherlands won both matches, the first 3-2 against Ukraine and the second 2-0 against Austria, so the atmosphere on the Marktweg must have been one of true joy and hope. 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were amongst the public at the Johan Cruijff Arena on the 13th of June, the first match the Dutch played, and also tweeted their support for the team throughout the championships. 

Restrictive measures to prevent further spread of COViD-19 are still in place throughout the Netherlands, including social distancing; however, due to the influx of people that convened on the Marktweg to see His Majesty, observing social distancing was almost impossible, according to a spokesperson for the Mayor of The Hague.