Description of the attraction
The Noordeinde Palace, located in The Hague, is one of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family.
Once upon a time there was an ordinary farm house on this place. In 1533, the royal governor Wilhelm van de Gudt ordered to build a magnificent palace here. Fragments of the farmhouse cellars still exist at the base of the palace. In 1609, the palace was donated to the widow and son of William of Orange. It was his son, Frederic Henrik, who was involved in the reconstruction and expansion of the palace, known as the Old Court (Oude Hof). The leading Dutch architects of the time, Peter Post and Jacob van Kampen, the main representatives of the style of Dutch classicism, were invited to work. Two large side wings were added to the main building, and the palace received its current H-shape.
After the liberation of the Netherlands from French occupation at the beginning of the 19th century, the palace became the property of the state and remains state property to this day. Since 1813, the Noordeinde Palace has been considered the winter residence of the Dutch kings, but many monarchs preferred other palaces. In 1948, the central part of the palace was destroyed by fire. From 1952 to 1976, the Institute for Social Research was located in the north wing of the palace. Since 1984, when the restoration work was completed, the palace has again been the working residence of the kings, at the moment - King Willem-Alexander. As a result, the palace is unfortunately closed to the public. Only the palace gardens are open for visits.
