Binnenhof

The Binnenhof is a complex of Gothic buildings enclosed by a stone wall and a perimeter moat. It centers on the Ridderzaal, or Hall of Knights, identifiable by its two pointed towers flanking a tall triangular gable. While the Dutch government holds its sessions here today, the site began in the thirteenth century as a hunting lodge for the Counts of Holland. In sixteen nineteen, the statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was beheaded in the courtyard here after a bitter political dispute.