Ridderzaal

From the early 17th century, the Ridderzaal became an important trading place for booksellers. In later centuries it served a variety of purposes - as a market hall, a promenade, a drill hall, a public record office, a hospital ward, even the offices of the state lottery. 

More recently, the Congress of Europe, considered by many as the first federal development of post-war European history, was held in The Hague in May 1948 with 750 European delegates as well as observers from Canada and the United States of America. The Hall of Knights was the main venue used for the congress. The delegates used the opportunity to discuss ideas about the development of European integration, which would eventually cultivate into the creation of the modern-day European Union.

Originally built as a ballroom, the Gothic Ridderzaal (literally 'Knight's Hall') today forms the center of the Binnenhof. Every third Tuesday of September, on Prinsjesdag ('Princes' Day'), this is where the King holds his annual 'Speech from the Throne'. Pay attention to the gilt Neo-Gothic fountain that adorns the courtyard. When we walk out, you will see a statue of King William II, one of only few Dutch equestrian statues, who guards the Stadtholder's Gate, which dates from 1620.