BeNeLux - The Hague, Delft

The Hague

The Hague is the seat of the Dutch parliament, government and Royal Court (but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands which is a role set aside in the Dutch constitution for Amsterdam). Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands lives and works in The Hague. All foreign embassies and government ministries are located in the city, as well as the Supreme Court, the Council of State and many lobbying organizations.

The Hague is also the seat over 150 international organizations, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. It is the second UN city, after New York.




Binnenhof and the Knight’s Hall, the political centre of the Netherlands.

Throughout the ages, Het Binnenhof in The Hague has always been the centre of politics in the Netherlands, the place where affairs of state were discussed. Not only are the buildings themselves well worth seeing, but it was here that the most important events in Dutch history took place. Parliament still meets here, and thus the Binnenhof remains the centre of Dutch political life today.
The oldest part of the medieval earl’s castle, the Knights’ Hall and the ‘Rolgebouw’ behind it, date from the 13th century. In the course of the centuries, the Binnenhof was renovated and expanded continuously. As early as the 15th century the Binnenhof housed the County Council and in 1585 it became the seat of the States General of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

Peace Palace

The Peace Palace in The Hague is home to a number of international judicial institutions, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ), or World Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the renowned Peace Palace Library, as well as the Hague Academy of International Law, which attracts law students from all over the world every summer.









Delft

Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands.. It is located in between Rotterdam and The Haque. Delft is primarily known for its typically Dutch town centre (with canals); also for the painter Vermeer, Delft Blue pottery (Delftware), the Delft University of Technology and its association with the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau. Delft is well known for the Delft pottery ceramic products which were styled on the imported Chinese porcelain of the 17th century. The city had an early start in this area since it was a home port of the Dutch East India Company.









Delft canal with the Old Church in the background.

The Oude Kerk (Old Church), nicknamed Oude Jan ("Old John"), is a Gothic Protestant church in the old city center of Delft, the Netherlands. Its most recognizable feature is a 75-meter-high brick tower that leans about two meters from the vertical.

City Hall

New Church

Nieuwe Kerk (English: New Church) is a landmark Protestant church in Delft, Netherlands. The building is located on Delft Market Square (Markt), opposite to the City Hall (Dutch: Stadhuis). In 1584, William the Silent was entombed here (buried here in 1584 at the end of his struggle against the Spanish in the 80 years war) in a mausoleum designed by Hendrick and Pieter de Keuser. Since then members of the House of Orange-Nassau have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004. The private royal family crypt is not open to the public.

Delft is one of Holland’s historical centers and home to the Dutch royal family, The House of Orange.