The Hague

The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: also called File:Loudspeaker.svg's-Gravenhage, commonly File:Loudspeaker.svgDen Haag) is the third-largest municipality in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. It has a population of about 546,000 (2020) and an area of around 98 km². It is in the west of the country, in the province South Holland. It is the capital of the province. About 1 million people live in the urban area of The Hague, on about 405 square kilometers.

Municipality
File:The Hague Montage 2021.png
Flag of Flag Official seal of Seal
Coordinates: 52°04′40.9″N 4°19′00.8″E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Zuid-Holland
Government
• Mayor	Jan van Zanen
Area
• Total	82.45 km2 (31.83 sq mi)
Population  (January 1, 2023)
• Total	562,416
• Density	6,821/km2 (17,670/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
Postal code(s)	2491–2597
MCN	0518
Website	Official website

The Hague is the location of the Binnenhof, the building where the national government of the Netherlands meets. Built in the 13th century, the Binnenhof is the home of the "Eerste Kamer" (literally "First Chamber") or "Senaat", and the "Tweede Kamer" (literally "Second Chamber"). These are the same as the upper and lower houses in some other countries. They form the "Staten Generaal" (literally the "Estates-General").

Willem-Alexander, the king of the Netherlands, lives and works in The Hague. His home is called the Noordeinde Palace and it is not far away from the Binnenhof. All foreign embassies and government ministries of the country are in the city, as well as the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden (The Supreme Court) and many lobbying organisations.

All of this is unusual for a country, because The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands, which is Amsterdam. This is made so by the Constitution of the Netherlands.

Besides the buildings used by the government, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations is based in the Peace Palace, which is also in The Hague and often referred to as "The Hague" by metonymy. A tourist attraction is Madurodam, which has lots of tiny buildings that look like the real things.

The Hague is part of a large conurbation called the Randstad, where most Dutch people live. It is only an hour away from Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol by train (most of which are run by Nederlandse Spoorwegen) and with its two train stations, is easy to get to from many places in the Netherlands and all around Europe.

Partner cities

• Warsaw, Poland

Things to see

• International Court of Justice HQ 2006.jpg
• Exterieur OVERZICHT INGANG - 's-Gravenhage - 20285549 - RCE.jpg
• Overzicht voorgevel - 's-Gravenhage - 20358401 - RCE.jpg
• 2010-05-22-den-haag-by-RalfR-43.jpg
• Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel.JPG
• 2010-05-22-den-haag-by-RalfR-48.jpg
• Binnenhof Panorama in Den Haag.jpg

The Hague Media

• Joust on the Hofvijver, by Dutch School of the 17th century.jpg

  The Binnenhof at the Hofvijver, 1625

• Beest Street in The Hague.jpg

  Street in The Hague by Sybrand van Beest, c. 1650, Royal Castle in Warsaw

• Den Haag - Stadhuis 1900.jpg

  The Old City Hall of The Hague around 1900

• Den Haag Skyscrapers 5.jpg

  The Ministry of Justice and Security building, opened in 2012

• DenHaag-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg

  Detailed topographic map of The Hague, 2014

• Haagse wijken.PNG

  The Hague, divided into neighbourhoods

• Netherlands, The Hague, Rembrandtstraat (01a).jpg

  Façades in the Rembrandstraat in The Hague, Netherlands. This picture is a cropped version of

• Netherlands, The Hague, Rembrandtstraat (01).jpg
• Den Haag Binnenhof 02.jpg

  The Hofvijver and the buildings housing the States General of the Netherlands

• Den Haag, skyline vanaf Laan van Reagan en Gorbatsjov IMG 8945 2019-03-24 17.46.jpg

  View of the Hoftoren (left) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (the triangular gable right)

• The Hague population pyramid.svg

  The Hague population pyramid in 2022

Related pages

• Residentie Orchestra