Paleis+Noordeinde

=The Hague=

Paleis Noordeinde
Noordeinde Palace (Dutch: Paleis Noordeinde), located in The Hague in the province of South Holland is one of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. It has been used by the royal family since 1609 when it was given to Louise de Coligny, William the Orange’s widow, and her son Prince Frederik Hendrik by the States of Holland because of her husband’s accomplishments for the nation.

The palace itself has a rich history and compared to most other palaces is very modest. It began as a medieval farmhouse. If you were able to visit the basement of the palace, you would see that some of the original cellar parts are still present. It was renovated in 1533 and changed hands several times from 1566 to 1591. It was leased for a short time and then purchased in 1595 by the State of Holland by the steward of the States of Holland, Willem van de Goudt.

Frederik Hendrik made several expansions to the house that was known as Oude Hof and bought many of the surrounding areas of land. He is also responsible for the beautiful garden located behind the palace that he had made for his mother. He hired the architects Pieter Post and Jacob van Campen that expanded the building to make it into the H shape that is seen today. From 1647 to 1675, Amalia van Solms, widow of Frederik Hendrik, lived in the house. It remained unused for many years but after the death of King William III in 1702 it became the property of King Frederick I of Prussia. He sold all of his land in the Netherlands in 1754 to the man who became King Willem I. He lived in the home form 1792 until the French invasion of the Netherlands in 1795. At that time the home became the property of the State. In 1813, when Crown Prince Willem retuned from exile, it was completely restored. King Willem I live in the palace until his abdication in 1840. His successor, King Willem III, used the palace in the winter and after marrying Queen Emma their daughter, Princess Wilhelmina, was born in the palace in 1880. King Willem died in 1890 and in 1895 Queen Regent Emma had the Royal Archives built. Many years later, Queen Wilhelmina had maintained residence at the palace until 1940 until the German invasion. After her exile she refused to return to the palace because she despised the Germans and reportedly once asked one of her aides to bomb the palace. When, 1948, the middle part of the palace was destroyed by fire, she was reported as saying “You do not think I lit the fire?”

Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard did use part of the palace for court workspaces from 1952 to 1976. Since 1984, the palace has been a place of work for the royalty including Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. It is currently used by King Willem Alexander and his staff since 2013 as a working palace. It is located in the center of The Hague along the street Noordeinde that has given the palace its name. You can take pictures from the street, but it is not open to the public however the gardens are open to the public. The street it is on is well known for its large amount of art and for being one of the biggest shopping streets in The Hague. Noordeinde Palace is one of three palaces that can be used by the royal family by law.