Things to Do in The Hague
One of the Netherlands’ most famous buildings and the crowning glory of The Hague, the Peace Palace, or Vredespaleis, serves as a symbol of the country’s key role in international law and order. Built between 1907 and 1913 by Andrew Carnegie, the grand palace is home to the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Law Academy and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), making it an important center of global peace.
The building itself, an imposing neo-renaissance structure constructed from Belgian stone and Dutch red brick, is notable for its opulent interiors, designed to embody the ‘grand idea of world peace’ and featuring an exquisite art collection and furnishings imported from around the world. Guided tours of the palace make popular day trips from nearby Rotterdam and Amsterdam, whisking visitors around the chambers, the Peace Palace Library, the palace museum and the picturesque gardens.
Behind the 17th-century façade of this palace – formerly the winter home of Queen Emma of the Netherlands – lies a startlingly eccentric collection of works of Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher. The palace is located on The Hague’s elegant boulevard of Lange Voorhout and as befits its royal residence, has a series of lavishly appointed rooms plus an ornate Art Nouveau staircase that was installed in 1901 along with glimmering stained-glass windows in the skylights of the main hall.
Maurits Cornelis Escher lived between 1898-1972 and became famous for his slightly demented lithographs, woodcuts and engravings as well as drawings and prints playing with perspective. He travelled right across Europe, living in Italy and Switzerland and drawing on influences as far apart as the Alhambra in Granada and the bucolic landscape of Tuscany.
More Things to Do in The Hague
Delft Pottery of Delftse Pauw
The Delftware tin-glazed pottery technique has been used since the 17th century, and has not changed much since (which could partly explain its popularity nowadays) – each piece requires the craftsmanship of a master painter to produce the very specific look this pottery is known for. The specific blue hue used on the Delftware pottery is instantly recognizable and has become somewhat of a trademark in its own right in many countries around the world.
The showroom and mini-museum showcases a wide range of authentic Delftware, which are always entirely hand-painted, in an authentic Dutch building overlooking a canal.
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