Fodor's Expert Review Galerij Prins Willem V
The Hague
One of the last remaining Dutch art kabinets, this princely gallery is packed with Old Masters hung in 18th-century touche-touche fashion (with barely an inch between paintings). Opened in 1773, the gallery became the Netherlands' first public museum (until then most collections were seen only by special appointment). The cream of the collection was later moved to the Mauritshuis, but many fine works remain. The long narrow room has grand Louis XVI stucco ceilings, but nevertheless exudes an intimate, homey atmosphere, as if a friend who just happened to own a collection that included works by Jan Steen and Rembrandt had asked you over to see them.
