Het Plein

Het Plein in The Hague's city centre, with the statue of William the Silent in the middle.

Het Plein (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɦət ˈplɛin], English: "The Square") is a town square in The Hague's old city centre. It is located adjacent to the Binnenhof, the meeting place of the States General of the Netherlands; the entrance to the House of Representatives can be found on Plein 2.[1] The Mauritshuis art museum is located on Plein 29.[2] Het Plein was originally a garden, forming a part of the Binnenhof castle, residence of the Counts of Holland. It was used to grow vegetables for the court. The garden was surrounded by a ring of canals and intersected by ditches.[3] As a town square, Het Plein was constructed in 1632 and was inspired by the Place des Vosges in Paris. A statue of William the Silent, made by Dutch sculptor Lodewyk Royer, was installed in the centre of the square in 1848.

References

  1. ↑ "Adres en route". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Address and directions. Mauritshuis. Retrieved on 16 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Plein: van kooltuin tot stadsplein". Geschiedenis van Den Haag (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 52°04′12″N 4°18′58″E / 52.07°N 4.316°E