Binnenhof

This article is about the government complex in The Hague. For the Rotterdam Metro station, seeBinnenhof metro station.

The Hague's Binnenhof with theHofvijver(Court Pond)

TheBinnenhof(Dutch pronunciation:[ˈbɪnə(n)ˌɦɔf];English:Inner Court) andBuitenhof(Outer Court) is a complex of buildings in the city centre ofThe Hague,Netherlands,next to theHofvijver(Court Pond). It houses the meeting place of both houses of theStates General of the Netherlands,as well as theMinistry of General Affairsand the office of thePrime Minister of the Netherlands.Built primarily in the 13th century, the Gothic castle originally functioned as residence of the counts ofHollandand became the political centre of theDutch Republicin 1584. It is counted among theTop 100 Dutch heritage sites.The Binnenhof is among the oldest parliament buildings in the world still in use.

History

The Binnenhof in 1586

The Binnenhof and Hofvijver on a map of The Hague from around 1600

Little is known about the origin of the Binnenhof. Presumably, the grounds next to theHofvijverlake, and the small homestead on it, were purchased by CountFloris IVofHollandfrom Meiland van Wassenaar in November 1229. Between 1230 and 1234 he had the homestead expanded to a smallkeep.After Floris' son and successorWilliam IIwas crownedKing of the Romansin 1248, this construction continued. Between 1248 and 1280, William had theRidderzaalbuilt. To its left and right, walls were built, which divided the area in front of the building from that behind it. Both walls had a gate. At the end of the wall on the left, near the Hofvijver, the court chapel was built, and near that the Ridderhuis ('Knights' House') where visiting knights were sheltered. William died in battle in 1256, before the construction of the Ridderzaal had finished, and the castle was completed during the reign of his son,Floris V.

The Binnenhof was the residence of the counts of Holland for a short period. After the house of Holland died out in 1299, the county fell into the hands of the counts ofHainaut.The counts of Hainaut barely resided in the Binnenhof in the early 14th century. DukeAlbert IofBavariaand his successorWilliam IIlived in the Binnenhof virtually permanently. Under their reign, the castle saw a sizeable expansion, and gradually became enclosed by buildings.

A meeting of the States General of the Dutch Republic in theRidderzaalin 1651

When Holland had become part of theBurgundian Empirein 1432, the Binnenhof lost its purpose and was abandoned. Part of the complex was later made into the residence of thestadtholderof Holland, who governed the county in absence of its ruler. AfterPhilip IIwas deposed as Count of Holland and theDutch Republicwas proclaimed in 1581, the Ridderzaal was initially a public space, often used by traders, stallholders and book sellers. In 1584, stadtholderMauricemoved into the stadtholder's quarter, and in the same year, the Ridderzaal became the meeting place of the newly formedStates General of the Dutch Republic.The expansions of the Binnenhof by Maurice were the beginning of a gradually advancing reconstruction of the castle that ended after the construction of the southern wing under stadtholderWilliam V,in the late 18th century.

TheHouse of Representativessat in the Oude Zaal ('Old Hall') until 1992, when it had become too small for its 150 members, and a modern expansion was built on the south of the building, housing its new seat.

Between 1806 and 1810, under French rule, the administrative centre of the Netherlands was moved to Amsterdam, and the Binnenhof became useless and it was considered for demolition. When the Netherlands gained independence from France, however, the government moved back to the Binnenhof. The existence of the building was in danger a second time in 1848, when a new constitution instituted a system of parliamentary democracy and the States General wished to symbolically demolish the old government buildings and build a new complex. The local residents, however, cared more for the historic value of the building, and successfully protested against demolition.

Layout

Originally built as a ballroom, the GothicRidderzaal(agreat hall,literally 'Knight's Hall') today forms the centre of the Binnenhof. Every third Tuesday of September, onPrinsjesdag,this is where the King holds his annualSpeech from the Throne.Other buildings shape a rectangle around the Ridderzaal, creating a large courtyard in front of the building, and a smaller square behind it. A giltNeo-Gothicfountain adorns the courtyard and a statue of KingWilliam II,one of few Dutchequestrian statues,guards its gate, theStadtholder'sGate, which dates from 1620.

Looking out over the Hofvijver, theSenatesits in a chamber in the western corner of the Binnenhof, while theHouse of Representativesoriginally sat in the southern corner, at the other side of the Stadtholder's Gate. Today, the lower house meets in a chamber in the large modern eastern part of the complex. ThePrime Minister'soffice has since 1982 been located in the small tower in the northern corner, simply called theTorentje('Little Tower').Located in the north-western wing, the Trêveszaal is a meeting room originally built for negotiations during theEighty Years' War;today, it is the meeting room of theCabinet.

• 
  TheRidderzaalin 2019
• 
  TheTrêveszaalHistoric meeting room
• 
  TheHandelingenkamer,the Library of the Binnenhof
• 
  TheSenate (Netherlands)Plenary Hall of the Senate
• 
  The office of thePrime Minister of the Netherlands
• 
  Throne of the monarch of the Netherlands in theRidderzaal

Renovation

Main article:2021–present Binnenhof renovation

From fall 2021 (afterPrinsjesdag), the Binnenhof has been undergoing a fullrenovation.

In 2014, a specially assigned task force, Renovatie Binnenhof, suggested a large renovation for the Binnenhof. Before that, only small maintenance had been done to the complex. Mostly the older buildings, next to theHofvijver,are in need of renovation, such as Het Torentje (office of thePrime Minister of the Netherlands), de Trêveszaal (where thecabinet of the Netherlandsholds its weekly meetings) and several other buildings. The renovation will mostly focus aroundair conditioningand central heating installations, IT systems, elevators, fire safety and modernisation of the kitchens.

In December 2015 a majority of the Dutch Parliament elected a plan for a full renovation of the complex, which will take approximately 5.5 years and is estimated to cost around €475 million. The first plan was to start the renovations in 2018, however this was postponed several times. TheSenatewill be moved during the renovation to the former building of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs,which has been prepared by a €40 million remodeling. ThePrime Minister of the Netherlandsand theMinistry of General Affairswill be moved to theCatshuis,where a temporary office building will house several hundred officials. The senate will be moved to Huis Huguetan, the formerSupreme Court of the Netherlandsbuilding.The house of representatives will be moved to the former building of the secretary of state.

In 2017, the architectural firmOffice for Metropolitan Architecture(OMA) received the assignment for designing and preparing the renovation. In early 2019 information was leaked that the projected cost for several 'activities' such as painting, carpets and security was off by around €60 million. Also, in 2019, the contract with OMA was discontinued. Another architectural firm, DOK, under the lead of architectPi de Bruijn,who also designed the new construction for theSenate,was assigned to finish the plans. In the summer of 2021, politicians and officials will be moved to their temporary workplaces and afterPrinsjesdag,which is on 21 September 2021, construction will begin in and around the Binnenhof.

The estimated costs of the renovation had risen to €2 billion by 2024, and completion was expected by 2028 at the earliest. Discoveries of additional deferred maintenance, defects, andasbestoswere cited amongst the causes. For example, it was found that the ceiling in the Senate was unstable, and water of the Hofvijver lake was entering the complex through holes in the foundation.