Knight's Hall (The Hague)
The Knight's Hall ( Dutch Ridderzaal ) in The Hague is a Gothic brick building , which is primarily associated with the speech from the throne of the Dutch king. It forms the center of the Binnenhof , a medieval building complex in which almost the entire political life of the Netherlands takes place.
history
Count Wilhelm II of Holland , who was also the Roman-German king , laid the foundation stone for the construction of the knight's hall in 1248. His son, Count Florence V of Holland , completed the construction around 1280. The hall was used by the counts from Holland as a ballroom; Philip of Burgundy received the chapter of the knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by him here in 1432 and 1456 .
In 1581 the States General made the decision in the knight's hall to no longer recognize the Spanish King Philip II as their sovereign . At the beginning of the first period without governor in 1651 under Johan de Witt , the delegates of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces met here . Later the knight's hall was left to decay; Lotteries were held here in the 17th and 18th centuries, and during the French era , cadets used the hall for exercise .
In the middle of the 19th century, the building was a single ruin, through which even a drainage ditch ran. In 1861, Reichsbaumeister Willem Nicolaas Rose set about the restoration and built, among other things, a cast-iron roof structure that rested on two-row cast-iron columns, so that a three-aisled construction was created. From 1878 the hall was used as an archive room by the Ministry of the Interior .
The buildings that had been added to the knight's hall over time were demolished. In 1904 the hall was restored in a neo-Gothic style. The architect Pierre Cuypers ensured that the interior was tastefully furnished with Turkish floor and wall carpets. These were removed from Abyssinia in 1954 on the occasion of the state visit of Emperor Haile Selassie . In addition, the sand-colored wall surfaces by Cuypers were painted white and the flags of the Dutch provinces were hung.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the annual full assembly of both chambers of parliament, including the reading of the speech from the throne, has not only taken place in the knight's hall, but also large receptions, dinners, congresses and conferences. The Round Table took place here in 1949, at the end of which the Netherlands recognized Indonesia's independence. The government also invited to two festive dinners in the knight's hall: one for Queen Beatrix on the occasion of her silver jubilee in office and another for Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima on the eve of their wedding.
When it was discovered at the beginning of the 21st century that the upholstery fabric of the throne, which has been in the knight's hall since 1904, was used as an opportunity to critically examine the entire interior of the building. Since the completion of the renovation work that was initiated, which lasted until 2006, the hall has met the requirements of the 21st century.
use
On the third Tuesday in September, the so-called Prinsjesdag , the king reads the speech from the throne in the knight's hall, in which he presents the government's program for the next year. In addition to the king, the royal family, the prime minister and the cabinet, the members of the first and second chambers, the press and some guests of honor are present at this speech. Prinsjesdag is the event with which the knight's hall is associated today.
In addition, some smaller events take place throughout the year. Mostly these are state receptions and similar diplomatic events.
The knight's hall is managed by the State Building Authority ( Rijksvastgoedbedrijf ). The ProDemos visitor center organizes guided tours through the knight's hall, during which the parliament is also visited.
Building structure and equipment
The Gothic building has outer walls 1.20 m thick and an impressive roof made of wood. The roof has a height of 26 m at the highest point, is 38 m long and 17.80 m wide.
The throne of the Dutch Queen Beatrix is particularly striking in the knight's hall . Until the death of her husband Prince Claus , there was a smaller throne for the prince consort in the room. Since 2013 there is again a secondary throne for Queen Máxima. The windows are decorated with mosaic pictures, which together with the wooden roof gives the room a dark atmosphere. Showpieces are the nineteen coats of arms of the twelve provinces, the parts of the kingdom in the Caribbean and of Europe. The wording of Article 1 of the Constitution of 1848 is emblazoned on the mantelpiece on the north side of the room .
Web links
- Knight's Hall on the website of the Dutch Royal Family (Dutch, German, English)
- The knight's hall as a 3D model in SketchUp's 3D warehouse
Coordinates: 52 ° 4 ′ 46.1 ″ N , 4 ° 18 ′ 45.9 ″ E