New or Littéraire Sociëteit de Witte

Nieuwe or Littéraire Sociëteit De Witte was founded by young dignitaries as an association for 'sociable traffic and wartime outings'. The name De Witte derives from the original white building that no longer exists. In 1798 the New Society, as the association was then called, was dissolved by the government. However, the association was quietly continued as a coffee house and was re-established in 1802 as Nieuwe or Littéraire Sociëteit De Witte. New because it was a re-establishment, littérair as a pretext to escape the restrictions that existed in the French era on associations. The current objective that De Witte maintains today concerns the promotion of mutual communication between the members and the practice of literature, the fine arts, history and other sciences by its members. The association is located in the building of the same name in The Hague.