5/5 Jason Van C. 2 years ago on Google
The
Binnenhof
is
the
political
center
of
The
Hague
and
the
Netherlands
at
large,
housing
both
the
Senate
and
the
House
of
Representatives,
the
office
of
the
Prime
Minister,
and
various
other
governmental
entities.
Although
not
directly
tied
to
international
entities
such
as
the
UN
and
the
International
Court
of
Justice,
places
like
the
Binnenhof
confer
the
same
air
of
solemn,
regal
authority
upon
even
the
most
hapless
tourist.
It
*feels*
like
a
seat
of
power,
in
a
way
that
many
other
capitol
buildings
do
not,
even
back
home
in
the
States,
because
of
its
antiquity
and
careful
preservation.
There
history
of
a
nation
is
saturated
in
these
800
year
old
stones,
each
of
which
with
its
own
tale
to
tell.
Visitors
are
allowed
to
attend
sessions
of
parliament,
if
they
happen
to
be
in
session
when
tourists
are
wandering
through.
During
our
visit,
there
wasn't
much
in
the
way
of
legislative
"action"
going
on
at
the
time,
so
the
grounds
were
mostly
clear
of
crowds,
political
or
otherwise,
leaving
us
to
wander
the
grounds
freely
and
take
in
the
gorgeous
gothic
architecture.
Along
with
the
adjacent
Rijksmuseum
de
Gevangenpoort,
the
Mauritshuis,
and
several
other
intriguing
sites
encircling
the
Hofvijver,
any
student
of
history
will
find
no
lack
of
things
to
engage
their
curiosity
in
the
area.
2 people found this review helpful 👍