Binnenhof

The States General of the Netherlands (Dutch: Staten-Generaal [ˌstaː.tə(n).ɣeː.nəˈraːl] (listen)) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) and the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States General originated in the 15th century as an assembly of all the provincial states of the Burgundian Netherlands. In 1579, during the Dutch Revolt, the States General split as the northern provinces openly rebelled against Philip II, and the northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the Dutch Republic in 1581. The States General were replaced by the National Assembly after the Batavian Revolution of 1795, only to be restored in 1814, when the country had regained its sovereignty. The States General was divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives in 1815, with the establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. After the constitutional amendment of 1848, members of the House of Representatives were directly elected, and the rights of the States General were vastly extended, practically establishing parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands. Since 1918, the members of the House of Representatives are elected for four years using party-list proportional representation, while the 75 members of the Senate are elected by the States-Provincial every four years. On exceptional occasions, the two houses form a joint session known as the United Assembly. The President of the Senate serves as President of the States General during a United Assembly. Jan Anthonie Bruijn (VVD) has been President of the Senate since 2019.

The Torentje (Dutch: Het Torentje; English: "The Little Tower"), located at the Binnenhof in The Hague next to the Mauritshuis museum, has been the official office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1982.

The Hofvijver (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɔfɛivər]; English: Court Pond) is a lake in the centre of The Hague, Netherlands. It is adjoined in the east by the Korte Vijverberg (road), in the south by the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis, in the west by the Buitenhof and in the north by the Lange Vijverberg (road). In the middle there is a small island with plants and trees which has no name, it is usually referred to as "the island in the Vijverberg".

Museum Bredius is a museum named after Abraham Bredius on the Lange Vijverberg in The Hague. It is remarkable for its collection of etchings and paintings, but is most attractive to visitors for its accurate restoration of the 18th-century Herenhuis interior with period furnishings.

The Mauritshuis (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmʌurɪtsɦœys]; English: Maurice House) is an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collection contains works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and others. Originally, the 17th century building was the residence of count John Maurice of Nassau. It is now the property of the government of the Netherlands and is listed in the top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

The House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, pronounced [ˈtʋeːdə ˈkaːmər dɛr ˈstaːtə(ŋ) ˌɣeːnəˈraːl] (listen); commonly referred to as the Tweede Kamer, literally Second Chamber of the States General) is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate. It has 150 seats, which are filled through elections using party-list proportional representation. Generally, the house is located in the Binnenhof in The Hague, however, it has temporarily moved to the former building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 in the Hague while the Binnenhof is being renovated.

The Buitenhof (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbœytənɦɔf], Outer Court) is a square in The Hague, Netherlands, adjacent to the Binnenhof (Inner Court) and the Hofvijver pond. It is listed in the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

Saur was a restaurant in The Hague, in the Netherlands. It was a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in both 1958 and 1959. It was again awarded a Michelin star in 1967 and retained that rating until 1989. The restaurant finally closed down in November 2013.In the period 1982–1984, head chef was Ad van Wel.Restaurant Saur was convicted of breaching the price regulations in 1942. During the wintertime it had charged ƒ 2,50 for a plate of pea soup, while it was only allowed to charge ƒ 1,20. Although it was moved to a higher price class before the conviction, it still had to pay a fine of ƒ 1000 (thousand guilders).In the last days of his life, 2 May 2002, politician Pim Fortuyn was dining with friends in Restaurant Saur. A large crowd of protesters gathered in front of the restaurant. A security firm offered to protect him, but Fortuyn declined. Four days later, on 6 May, he was murdered.

Pulchri Studio (Latin:"For the study of beauty") is a Dutch art society, art institution and art studio based in The Hague ('s-Gravenhage), Netherlands.This institute began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg. Since 1893 the club has its residence in the villa at Lange Voorhout in The Hague. Membership is made up of painters, sculptors, photographers and art lovers, with members selected by a committee. An artist's membership allows themt to exhibit their own works in the galleries of the Company. Guests have to be invited by members.

The Prince William V Gallery is an art gallery on the Buitenhof in The Hague that currently shares an entrance with the Gevangenpoort museum. It is a recreation of the original gallery Galerij Prins Willem V, once founded there by William V, Prince of Orange in 1774. The displayed paintings are part of the collection of the Mauritshuis. Amongst the paintings on display are works by Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter and Gerard van Honthorst.

Spui is a RandstadRail station in central The Hague, Netherlands. It opened on 16 October 2004 as part of the city's new tram tunnel. RandstadRail lines 3 and 4, and tram lines 2 en 6 stop here. This station is not to be confused with the Spui/Stadhuis station.

Het Plein (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɦət ˈplɛin]; English: The Square) is a town square in the old city centre of The Hague in the Netherlands. It is located adjacent to the Binnenhof, the meeting place of the States General of the Netherlands; the entrance to the House of Representatives can be found on Plein 2. The Mauritshuis art museum is located on Plein 29.Het Plein was originally a garden, forming a part of the Binnenhof castle, residence of the Counts of Holland. It was used to grow vegetables for the court. The garden was surrounded by a ring of canals and intersected by ditches. As a town square, Het Plein was constructed in 1632 and was inspired by the Place des Vosges in Paris. A statue of William the Silent, made by Dutch sculptor Lodewyk Royer, was installed in the centre of the square in 1848.