Mug Shot — «Den Haag - Noordeinde Palace»

City: Den Haag Country: Netherlands Edition: 2008 Icon Edition Belongs to: 563 users (67 trading, 154 seeking)

The Hague (Dutch: Den Haag) is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Located in the west of the Netherlands, The Hague is in the centre of the Haaglanden conurbation and lies at the southwest corner of the larger Randstad conurbation. The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State, but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands which constitutionally is Amsterdam. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands lives at Huis ten Bosch and works at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands and 150 international organisations are located in the city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which makes The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations, along with New York, Vienna and Geneva. The Hague originated around 1230, when Floris IV, Count of Holland purchased land alongside a pond in order to build a hunting residence. In 1248 William II, Count of Holland and Rex Romanorum, decided to extend the residence to a palace. He died in 1256 before this palace was completed, but parts of it were finished by his son Floris V, of which the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), still extant, is the most prominent. It is still used for political events, such as the annual speech from the throne by the monarch. From the 13th century on the counts of Holland used The Hague as their administrative centre and residence when in Holland.

Mug::
Front: Palace "Noordeinde"
Noordeinde Palace was created around 1533 when a medieval manor was rebuilt.It is also called "The Old Court" and was from 1813 to 1940 the residence of the reigning monarch.In 1948 the palace was partially destroyed by fire. It was the precious Indian Hall, gift of the Indian population at the marriage of the queen in 1901 that stayed intact. After an extensive renovation in 1976 it was used from 1984 onward as a working palace of Queen Beatrix. In addition, Noordeinde is still used as a place where the public, after the death, could take farewell of Prince Claus, Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard. On the day of the funeral it was the starting point of the ceremonial transfer of the remains to the tomb of Orange Nassau in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. But the palace is used for happier events as well. The "budget day" procession (the day that the dutch cabinet presents their financial plans to the ordinary man) leaves from this palace every year. After the ride, the royal family will reside here on the balcony for some time.

Back: Het Binnenhof (Parliament building)
Het Binnenhof is a building complex in the center of The Hague and for centuries it has been the center of Dutch politics. The Hague originated around these parliament buildings, which throughout history in many ways have been the center of the residence.The current Binnenhof is longstanding and has little changed in appearance, though, the current structure of parliament creates other demands on the facilities than a few centuries ago. Until 1992 the Old Hall (the Ballroom of William V of the 18th century) was the courtroom of the House of Representatives. The room was too small for the 150 members of the Chamber to house along with all supporting persons. In 1992, therefore the new meeting room opened. The old buildings were allowed to stand.

Source: Wikipedia / translated / added


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edited by Bor and mobydick74

  Netherlands, Den Haag, MIC, MIT, MIC/MIT

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