Binnenhof

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The Binnenhof (English: Inner Court), is a collection of buildings in The Hague. It has been the centre of Dutch politics for centuries.

In 1229, Count of Holland Floris IV had a hunting lodge built near a large fish pond (today's Hofvijver), where the sand dunes bordered on his hunting grounds. His son Willem II had a castle built here, surrounded by moats. In 1280, Floris V added the great Hall of Knights (Ridderzaal). Over the next centuries, the castle was further expanded alongside the Hofvijver and around the courtyard into the set of buildings now known as the Inner Court. Eventually, the humble hunting lodge of the Count of Holland had evolved into a princely court, where, during the period of the Dutch Republic, the ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family lived in regal splendour. The States General have gathered at the Binnenhof since 1464, the year in which they were established. Nowadays, the buildings to the left of the Hall of Knights house the Senate and the department of General Affairs, whereas all the buildings right of the Hall of Knights belong to the House of Representatives.

Binnenhof is also used as a metronym for governmental administration, like Whitehall in the United Kingdom.