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Under a loud "Orange above," Prince Willem Frederik (1772-1843), eldest son of Stadholder William V and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, set foot in Scheveningen on November 30, 1813. The prince had gone into exile with his father after the advance of French troops in 1795. When the French left our country, the provisional government called on him to return to his homeland. After all, since the death of his father in 1806, he was the obvious person to become head of state. Accordingly, two years later, he became King of the Netherlands.

The moment that William I returned after years of exile is commemorated with a memorial. The monument marks the spot where the sovereign landed. The fact that the memorial pole stands there is thanks to the Vereeniging van en voor Nederlandsche Industrieelen. This association wanted to commemorate the independence of the Netherlands in the early 1960s. To this end, it erected the large monument on Plein 1813 and the commemorative needle in Scheveningen. It was also the intention to establish a vocational school. The latter, however, never happened.

The memorial pole was designed by architect A. Roodenburg in collaboration with J.M. van der Made. We know Roodenburg from buildings like the former synagogue in the Wagenstraat and the Hotel Des Indes at the Lange Voorhout. The memorial pole was unveiled in 1865 by prince Frederik, the second son of Willem I.