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The Peace Palace in The Hague has been an international icon of ‘Peace through Law’ since 1913. It houses the United Nations International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the The Hague Academy of International Law. The Peace Palace is owned by the Carnegie Foundation, which also manages the Peace Palace Library and Visitors Centre.
The Peace Palace is unique worldwide. Nowhere else has a building been established by so many countries with the same commitment: to resolve conflicts peacefully. Ever since, the institutions housed in the Peace Palace work on resolving conflicts. With the International Court of Justice, the Peace Palace supports one of the United Nations’ six main bodies, while the other five are housed in New York.
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The First Hague Peace Conference took place in 1899. More than 100 delegates from 26 countries travelled to The Hague to discuss disarmament, international jurisdiction and arbitration (that is, conflict resolution without the intervention of a judge). Several treaties were concluded and statements were issued during the Conference, but the most significant result was the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. States, organisations, corporations and individuals can voluntarily turn to this Court to resolve conflicts through arbitration.
Following the Conference, the nations decided to build a temple to peace, to also house the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The construction of the Peace Palace was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
The foundation stone of the Peace Palace was laid during the Second Peace Conference in 1907, with nations called upon to literally add their weight to the construction. Many responded by contributing valuable building materials or art works as an expression of their support. For instance, Italy contributed the marble in the hall, while the stained glass windows were gifted by the United Kingdom. The interior furthermore contains paintings from France, silken wall tapestries from Japan, and huge porcelain vases from China. The Peace Palace that opened in 1913 is therefore not just a monument for the world, but also of the world.
The Peace Palace is unique worldwide. Nowhere else has a building been established by so many countries with the same commitment: to resolve conflicts peacefully. Ever since, the institutions housed in the Peace Palace work on resolving conflicts.
With the International Court of Justice, the Peace Palace supports one of the United Nations’ six main bodies, while the other five are housed in New York. The Peace Palace embodies the values of peace and justice. It has a rich and remarkable history, and continues to work on ‘Peace through Law’ every day. In 2014, the European Commission bestowed the European Heritage Label on the Peace Palace.
History | Peace Palace
Art & Interior | Peace Palace
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Would you like to learn more about the Peace Palace? You are welcome at the Visitors Centre. An audio tour offers more information about the history of the Peace Palace and about the work performed by the institutions housed here. The Visitors Centre regularly offers guided tours and organises educational programmes for schools.
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