Peace Palace to get visitors centre

The Peace Palace will get a visitors centre in a boomerang-shaped building by the front gate as of the summer of 2011. The chairman of the board of the Carnegie Foundation, Dr Bernard Bot, general director Steven van Hoogstraten and Deputy Mayor Frits Huffnagel (City Marketing) presented the model of the new building on 25 February at the Peace Palace.

Steven van Hoogstraten, Dr Bernard Bot and Frits Huffnagel present the model of the new information centre. Photo by Hendriksen-Valk

‘This project was extremely complicated. I hope now that the work can begin,’ said chairman Bot. ‘The world needs to know that The Hague is its legal capital. A visitors centre is sorely needed.’

The many tourists who make their way to the Peace Palace now may only take photos outside the building. Tours must be booked in advance. Deputy Mayor Huffnagel said he hoped that this would change next summer. ‘Visitors can then get information and answers to their questions about the Peace Palace, such as why the Peace Palace is in The Hague and who Andrew Carnegie was.’

The new building is being constructed with funding from Kansen voor West, Municipality of The Hague, Fonds voor de Vrijheid en Veteranenzorg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Carnegie Foundation.