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| Travel Guide 2 > Europe > Holland > Towns and Cities > The Hague |
The Hague
Located in South Holland (Dutch: Zuid-Holland), The Hague (Dutch: 's-Gravenhage or Den Haag) is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. As of 2006, the city had a population of 475,580.
The Hague is the seat of government, but not the offical capital of the Netherlands, as the Dutch constitution reserves that position for Amsterdam. Nevertheless the both the upper (Dutch: Eerste Kamer), and lower (Dutch: Tweede Kamer) chambers of the Dutch parliament (Dutch: Staten Generaal), the Supreme Court (Dutch: Hoge Raad der Nederlanden), the Council of State (Dutch: Raad van State), all government ministries, all foreign embassies, and the residence of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, are all in The Hague.
As well as the being the center of the Dutch government, The Hague is also an important center for international organizations, particularly those relating to legal matters. International organizations based in the The Hague include the European Police Office (Europol), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. As a result, the city is sometimes described as the "legal capital of the world", or the "international city of peace and justice".
There are many landmarks and museums in The Hague. Some sites that you will want to visit include:
- The Escher Museum (Dutch: Escher in het Paleis) - A museum
featuring the works of the Dutch artist M. C. Esher.
- Madurodam - A miniature Dutch city built on a 1:25 scale.
- Mauritshuis - An art gallery featuring the works of many famous Dutch artists.
- Panorama Mesdag - A huge panoramic painting painted by the Dutch artist, Hendrik Willem Mesdag, which is housed in a specially built museum.
Mauritshuis at Night, Lake Hof Vijver, Den Haag, the Hague, Holland (The Netherlands) Photographic Print
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