Dedication of The Hague Netherlands Temple
A temple for The Hague, Netherlands, was first announced in 1999. Once the temple was constructed, Elder Harold G. Hillam, Europe West Area president from 2002 to 2005, spoke to Church News at the open house for the temple, saying, “To build a temple in the Netherlands was certainly an inspired decision of our living Prophet. It will be a magnificent blessing to the Saints and all noble people here.”
One deaf man who wasn’t a Latter-day Saint attended the open house and received a free CD with music from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. He said to a volunteer assisting him, “I cannot listen to it yet, but when I am with my Heavenly Father, I will be able to hear beautiful music. I am so happy I could be here in the house of the Lord.”
Just over a week after the open house ended, The Hague Netherlands Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sept. 8, 2002.
Robert and Jeane Kirschbaum, longtime members of the Church in the Netherlands, spoke with Church News at the dedication, and said, “We were very excited in 1999 to hear that the Church was going to build a temple here. It seemed that, immediately, difficulties started, but we overcame them all, and now, you have no idea how blessed we feel having a temple in the Netherlands.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We thank Thee for those who came to this land in early days to preach Thine everlasting gospel, and for the faith of those who through the generations have accepted it and lived it and sought to strengthen Thy work. The faithful of this land have given so much for their testimony of Thy divine work. Bless to our memory all who have gone before, and bless mightily those who now walk in faith before Thee.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of The Hague Netherlands Temple here.
Timeline of The Hague Netherlands Temple
A temple near The Hague, Netherlands, was announced Aug. 16, 1999, via letters to priesthood leaders in the temple district. The groundbreaking ceremony for the house of the Lord was held Aug. 26, 2000.
Visitors toured the temple during its open house from Aug. 17-31, 2002. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated The Hague Netherlands Temple on Sept. 8, 2002.
Architecture and Design of The Hague Netherlands Temple
The 14,477-square-foot temple in The Hague, Netherlands, features two instruction rooms and two sealing rooms. Its grounds are filled with colorful flower gardens, and a bridge over a large reflective pool leads to the front entrance. The interior of the temple includes cherrywood doors and an Austrian Strauss crystal chandelier.
The temple was built in Zoetermeer, a city on the outskirts of The Hague that is located below sea level. As such, the house of the Lord is stabilized by several pylons that were added during construction.