For years, the bathhouse offered local residents and other inhabitants of The Hague the opportunity to scrub themselves thoroughly clean at a time when not all homes had shower or bath facilities.
Swimmers of all levels frequented the pool: from school swimming to training for Olympic medals. After the municipal takeover of the originally privately owned swimming pool in 1985, it was renovated and used intensively. Due to the poor structural condition of the building and changed municipal policy, the pool was permanently closed in 1995, leaving the Art Deco building empty. Initiatives from the neighborhood and the city gave the existence of De Regentes an unexpected turn following its closure, transforming it into a theater while retaining its central place in the neighborhood.
Due to budget cuts, the theater closed its doors once again at the end of 2012, but once again, local residents managed to turn the tide. Since May 2013, the theater has been operating with the help of about a hundred enthusiastic volunteers, some of whom even earned their swimming certificates in the former pool.
The rich history of De Regentes is still visible: the empty swimming pool beneath the theater hall, the changing rooms next to the stands, the shelter during WWII, and the former bathhouse have been preserved throughout all the transformations.
Theater De Regentes is now the proud cultural anchor of Segbroek and a multicultural city stage full of music, dance, and stories from all corners of the world.
Programming and Tours: https://theaterderegentes.nl/agenda/
Source: Jubilee Book ‘From Water to Theater’ 2020; The Hague Municipal Archives
Image credit: The Hague Municipal Archives and De Regentes Image Bank
