Den Haag Peace Palace
You might find this hard to believe, but at the end of the 19th century, a peace movement was sweeping the globe. Hundreds of peace organizations existed, some with millions of members. High-profile intellectuals and businesspeople led the endeavor.
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia invited representatives from all major nations to join a peace conference. The Hague was selected as an ideal venue due to its relatively neutral profile and ties between the Russian and Dutch monarchies.
Thus the Hague Peace Conference was born. After the successful event, Andrew Carnegie offered to construct the Peace Palace to house the endeavors. The neo-Renaissance style building with Dutch red bricks was completed in 1913.
Then…WWI broke out the following year. All plans for a third Peace Conference were cancelled since countries were busy suiting up for war.
Today, the Peace Palace performs many duties: it houses the International Court of Justice (the judicial organ of the U.N.), the Permanent Court of Arbitration (established at the first Peace Conference in 1899, this is an administrative organization designed for international arbitration) and is a monument to war’s futility.
Peace Flame
Outside, the eternal Peace Flame sits in the middle of the World Path of Peace, which is a small display of 196 stones and pebbles from as many countries.
World Path of Peace
Vredespaleis, Peace Palace, Den Haag, Hague, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch, Peace Flame, Path of Peace
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