The seat of the Dutch government, parliament, and other governmental bodies is not located in the capital Amsterdam, but in The Hague,
a city located at the North Sea, 60 km south of Amsterdam.
The Hague also sports a long stretch
of sandy beach and the old fishing harbor of
Schevningen.
It all started in 1230 with a hunting residence for Count Floris
IV of Holland. His successors expanded the resdence into a real palace of which the Ridderzaal (Knighs Hall)
is still in use for ceremonial purposes, like the annual Speach from the Throne by the King.
From 1588 onwards
The Hague has been the seat of government, first of the Dutch Republic and since 1815 of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In
WW II the Hague was hit hard when he RAF mistakenly bombed the city instead of a V2 launch site, killing
over 500 innocent people.
Today The Hague keeps up its dignified attitude, perfectly honed in more than 400
years of continuous government service.
Points of interest are the Binnenhof, Stedelijk Museum, the Maurits Huis and the very
impressive Panorama Mesdag cylindrical painting of Scheveningen beach..
