The Binnenhof, the House of Parliament in The Hague

The Government of the Netherlands does not reside in the capital Amsterdam, but in the Binnenhof in The Hague. This Binnenhof (literally Inner Court) is a complex of buildings around the centrally placed Ridderzaal (Knights Hall) with a courtyard on either side. Originally this was the residence of the Counts of Holland and it became the political centre of the Dutch Republic in 1584 as the place where the States General met. The origins of the complex lies in a hunting lodge built in the wooded dunes near a small lake on a small creek. The Dutch name of The Hague 's-Gravenhage also expresses this as haag means closed woodland used for hunting, with the prefix des graven meaning belonging to the count. In 1248 a palace was built replacing the lodge and the natural lake was remodelled into a formal pond (for storing fish) and is known since then as Hofvijver.

The Binnenhof complex is the oldest House of parliament in the world still in use. It houses both houses of the current States General of the Netherlands as well as the office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of General Affairs that is headed by the PM. The whole was once surrounded by a moat and only accessible via drawbridges. This was changed in the nineteenth century so now the complex is accessible via one of the gates on either end (Het Plein and Buitenhof). Most of the complex dates back to the 17th century and before.

A view across the Hofvijver of the Binnenhof. On this side lie the chamber of the Senate, The ministry of General Affairs and the Trêveszaal. In the background the high towers of the ministerial and the business districts around the Central Station can be seen.

The great hall at the heart of the Binnenhof was originally built as a ballroom. This gothic structure (ca. 1250)  is now the venue where the King delivers his Speech from the Throne every third Tuesday of September. The Inner Gate (Binnenpoort) connects the two courtyards of the Binnenhof and was built in 1634.The Mauritshuis (Prince Maurice House) stands next to the Binnenhof and was built in 1636-41 for Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, the governor of Dutch Brazil,  by Jacob van Kampen and Pieter Post. It is now a museum.