Binnenhof

Brief information

The name Binnenhof literally means “Inner Court,” and that captures the scale of the place well: what stands before us is not a single palace, but a dense complex of buildings where medieval origins exist side by side with active politics. On the plot purchased by Count Floris IV in 1230, his son William II built a hunting lodge; later the Ridderzaal, the “Hall of Knights,” appeared here.

Today that same complex is occupied by the States General, the parliament of the Netherlands, and by the prime minister’s working residence. The important shift is visible not in a single date, but in the juxtaposition of its parts: the old hall is used for state ceremonies, while since 1992 the lower house has worked in a modern building within the same Binnenhof.

What to notice first

The main focus is the Ridderzaal. Its Gothic triangular facade and the two towers at the edges immediately set the hall apart from the later parts of the complex. Above the entrance is a large round window, a “rose”; it is decorated with the coats of arms of the dynasties that ruled in the Netherlands. This detail turns the facade into a political sign: the building shows not only its age, but also the connection between power and monarchical tradition.

It is worth comparing three types of the presence of power in one place: the ceremonial Ridderzaal, the modern building of the lower house, and the tower used as the prime minister’s working residence. Because of this, the Binnenhof reads not as a preserved monument, but as a complex where the former castle has not disappeared, but has acquired new state roles.