Description of the attraction
The history of the Prison Gate Museum stretches back seven centuries, and it is not without reason that it is included in the list of the 100 most important historical monuments of the Netherlands.
In 1280, the gate at Beutenhof square was the main entrance to the castle, which is now known as Binnenhof. In 1428, the gate began to be used as a place of confinement for debtors or criminals awaiting trial.
A hundred years later, new cells and a courtroom were added to the gate. Until the 17th century, imprisonment was not considered a punishment per se - the punishment was fines, exile, corporal punishment, or the death penalty.
Famous historical figures were kept here: Cornelis de Witt, accused of conspiracy against William of Orange, and writer, scientist and philosopher Dirk Wolkertsen Koorngert. The prison existed for 400 years, but by 1828 there were no more prisoners. Proposals for the demolition of this building were voiced twice - in 1853 and in 1873, fortunately, it did not come to fruition, and in 1882 the Prison Gate became a museum. Some parts of the museum can only be visited with a guide.
The adjacent building houses the William V Gallery, an art gallery founded in 1774 by William V, Prince of Orange. Since 2010, visitors can enter the gallery via a spiral staircase that connects the two buildings. The collection now on display is a modern reconstruction from 1774, which was also located on the top floor of the house. The paintings are closely hung on the walls, as was the custom in the 18th century. The paintings were donated to the Mauritshuis Museum in 1822, which is the formal owner of the paintings.
