Binnenhof
The Binnenhof ( German Innerer Hof ) is a building complex in the center of The Hague . The Dutch Parliament ( Staten-Generaal in Dutch ) has been meeting here since 1446 ; see Dutch politics . The city of The Hague developed around the Binnenhof from the 13th century , which has had various functions throughout history. In the Golden Age (17th century) the Binnenhof was the center of European diplomacy. The building ensemble was declared a Rijksmonument (under no. 17470 ff.) Because of its origins from the period from 1250 to 1348 and is also referred to as the Paleis der Graven van Holland . Conceived as a hunting lodge and residence of the Counts of Holland, it led to the naming of the city of 's-Gravenhage , which is derived from the hunting estate as the Count's enclosure and later led to the name The Hague .
history
The origin of the Binnenhof has not been clarified with any certainty. The oldest building is said to have been built in the late 12th or early 13th century; Remnants of walls from this period were found under the “Rolgebouw” (courthouse), as the Binnenhof was initially called.
One theory is that Count Floris IV acquired the area around the courthouse around 1229. What is certain is that his son, Count Wilhelm II of Holland, began building a castle there in 1250, which was to replace the family's old hunting seat. His son Floris V completed the construction and moved his residence to 's-Gravenhage in 1291, around which a settlement developed over the centuries and which became the political center of the Netherlands from 1593.
During the German occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, the headquarters of the security police and security service were located in the Binnenhof . Countless people were held and tortured here, many died in the process, such as the communist resistance fighter Gerrit Kastein , who threw himself out of the window with the chair to which he was tied, or the Geuze Sjaak Boezeman , who suffered from the consequences the torture died. The room from which Kastein rushed was named Gerrit Kasteinkamer after him in June 2017 .
Today, as before 1940, the meeting rooms of the First and Second Chambers (comparable to the German Bundestag ) of the Dutch States General are located in the Binnenhof .
The Binnenhof was surrounded by canals and bordered in the north by the “Hofvijver”, the castle pond. Today only the castle pond and a short stretch of canal are preserved, which ends at the Buitenhof (outer courtyard), the forecourt belonging to the complex, which is now busy with traffic. Next to the Binnenhof is the Mauritshuis , which is now a museum.
construction
The Binnenhof consists of a large rectangular inner courtyard , which is surrounded by various buildings and into which several entrances lead. To the east of the western square of from the time of Floris V. originating Ridderzaal ( Knight's Hall ), a sacred-sounding its two flanking towers building, serves official receptions and annually on the third Tuesday in September - the Budget Day - scene of the opening of parliament by the Speech from the throne of the monarch. The building was built in the 13th century by Gerard van Leyden as a ballroom. Later it was used temporarily as a market , walking and parade hall , children's playground , archive and hospital , even the state lottery once had its seat here. With the restoration from 1898 to 1904 it was given its new official function.
To the east of the knight's hall is the oldest building group, which has probably served as a court since Philip the Good . The north wing facing the castle pond contains the former meeting rooms of the States General , the official seat of the Prime Minister and the seat of the State Information Service. The "Rolzaal" and the "Trêvezaal" are used for state receptions , the latter contains seven canvases from 1688. In the north-west wing is the seat of the First Chamber of the States General , which examines laws for their manageability and then approves them. In the wall niches of the hall built by Pieter Post in 1652, painted medallions are reminiscent of well-known statesmen. A portrait of King Wilhelm II with the Dutch national coat of arms can be seen above the chairman's chair . Also on the Buitenhof which is the king with a still image represented.
The building complex also includes the Gevangenpoort (prison gate), which served as a prison until the 19th century . Cornelis de Witt was held prisoner here, among others . In 1773, Prince Wilhelm V had a picture gallery set up in the neighboring building , in which he exhibited his private collection of pictures - and thus founded the first museum in the Netherlands. This wing of the building is still furnished in the style of the 18th century , the pictures hang on the walls up to the ceiling. The actual collection, however, has long been transferred to the Mauritshuis.
The former ballroom from 1790, located in the south wing of the Binnenhof, served until 1992 as the seat of the Second Chamber of the Netherlands , which corresponds to the German Bundestag and has legislative power . The wooden wall paneling can still be viewed today.
The MPs have been meeting in the new building on the opposite side of Pi de Bruijn since 1992 . No daylight penetrates the green and blue room and a modern communication system has replaced the ushers .
literature
- Marianne Mehling: Knaur's cultural guide in color, Holland. Droemer-Knaur, 1988, ISBN 3-426-26190-1 .
- Hans Simon: The heart of our cities. Volume V: Drawings of Dutch city centers in the Middle Ages. Bacht, 1980, ISBN 3-87034-031-2 .
Web links
- History of The Hague (Dutch, partly also German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Here the court of Holland spoke law, the name is derived from the Latin rotulus , process role
- ↑ Tweede Kamer vernoemt kamertje naar verzetsman Gerrit Kastein. In: tweedekamer.nl. Retrieved April 25, 2018 (Dutch).
- ↑ in which in 1608 the twelve-year armistice was negotiated with the Spaniards
Coordinates: 52 ° 4 ′ 46.1 ″ N , 4 ° 18 ′ 45.1 ″ E