General Van Heutsz welcomed at Hotel Des Indes in The Hague, 1904

In 1904 General Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz, then governor of Atjeh and acclaimed victor of the Aceh War, travelled to the Netherlands to assume the post of Governor‑General of the Dutch East Indies. After a lengthy train journey he arrived at Hollands Spoor station in The Hague, where a lavish reception was staged with music, speeches, municipal council members, representatives of the queen‑mother and the prince, marching bands and crowds of citizens waving flags.

Van Heutsz and his wife were escorted in horse‑drawn carriages through packed streets to the historic Hotel Des Indes. The hotel’s main dining room was festooned with roses, white flowers and Dutch flags, and displayed a bust of the queen alongside a portrait of the general. Approximately 150 members of a municipal honours committee oversaw the ceremony, while children with small flags cheered and threw flowers onto the passing carriages.

The event illustrated the Dutch nation’s celebration of colonial victories and the ceremonial preparation for the incoming Governor‑General of the Indies.