Noordeinde Palace — Attraction in The Hague

Noordeinde Palace (Dutch: Paleis Noordeinde, Dutch pronunciation: paːˌlɛis noːrtˈɛində) is one of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. Located in The Hague in the province of South Holland, it has been used as the official workplace of King Willem-Alexander since 2013.

The palace originated as a medieval farmhouse, which was converted into a spacious residence by the steward of the States of Holland, Willem van de Goudt in 1533. The original farmhouse's cellars can still be seen in the palace basement.

From 1566 to 1591, the palace had a different owner. After that it was leased, and in 1595, purchased by the States of Holland for Louise de Coligny, the widow of William of Orange, and her son Prince Frederik Hendrik. In recognition of William’s service to the nation, the States presented the building to his family in 1609.

Frederik Hendrik substantially enlarged the house, which was then known as the Oude Hof. He began by buying the surrounding plots of land. The architects Pieter Post and Jacob van Campen, who built Huis ten Bosch Palace in 1645, were among those involved in the alterations. The alterations included lengthening the main building and adding wings on either side, thus creating the characteristic H-form that is seen today.

After Frederik Hendrik died in 1647, his widow, Amalia van Solms, spent much of her time at the Oude Hof. Following her death in 1675, the house was more or less empty for many years. After the death of the Stadholder-King William III in 1702, it passed to King Frederick I of Prussia, a grandson of Frederik Hendrik’s.

In 1740, Voltaire stayed in one of the apartments while he negotiated with Dutch publisher Jan van Duren about the Anti-Machiavel.[1] In 1754, King Frederick the Great of Prussia sold his land-holdings in the Netherlands to Stadholder William V.

The son of Stadholder William V, who would become King Willem I, took up residence at the Oude Hof in 1792. But when the French invaded the Netherlands in 1795, during the French Revolutionary Wars, he and his family were forced to flee to England. The Oude Hof became the property of the Batavian Republic and hence state property, the status it has today. The gardens of the palace are open...

Oh wow that was amazing, I wanted to visit that place just because it came to my mind to visit a royal palace and I got lucky because then figured out that it was opened just for two weeks in the year.

The atmosphere inside is magnificent and I felt soo lucky to be there. There was even audio guides which I did not expect. The only rule that you need to hang it on your neck posed me off😄 because I don’t like to hang something on the neck and feel uncomfortable.

Also mind that you can’t take videos and of course touch anything. But photos were amazing, I wanted to match the place as also few (unfortunately) people. Because I am maybe very visual so people on the sneakers and shorts was breaking the feeling that you are somewhere in the classy place and brought you...

A wonderful experience visiting Palace Noordeinde, the working palace of the Dutch King. It’s a rare treat since the palace is only open to the public for a couple of weeks each year. We loved learning about its rich history and seeing the many beautifully decorated rooms, each with its own official purpose.

We bought a combination ticket with the Royal Stables and spent about 3 hours in total exploring both. The audio guide was excellent and really brought the stories to life. Overall, a great afternoon and highly recommended if you...