HAGUE

hague, the (in dutch, _'s gravenhage_, or, abbreviated, _den haag_; in fr. _la haye_; and in late lat. _haga comitis_), the chief town of the province of south holland, about 2-1/2 m. from the sea, with a junction station 9-1/2 m. by rail s.w. by s. of leiden. steam tramways connect it with the seaside villages of scheveningen, kykduin and 's gravenzande, as well as with delft, wassenaar and leiden, and it is situated on a branch of the main canal from rotterdam to amsterdam. pop. (1900), 212,211. the hague is the chief town of the province, the usual residence of the court and diplomatic bodies, and the seat of the government, the states-general, the high council of the netherlands, the council of state, the chamber of accounts and various other administrative bodies. the characteristics of the town are quite in keeping with its political position; it is as handsome as it is fashionable, and was rightly described by de amicis in his _olanda_ as half dutch, half french. the hague has grown very largely in modern times, especially on its western side, which is situated on the higher and more sandy soil, the south-eastern half of the town comprising the poorer and the business quarters. the main features in a plan of the town are its fine streets and houses and extensive avenues and well-planted squares; while, as a city, the neighbourhood of an attractive seaside resort, combined with the advantages and importance of a large town, and the possession of beautiful and wooded surroundings, give it a distinction all its own. the medieval-looking group of government buildings situated in the binnenhof (or "inner court"), their backs reflected in the pretty sheet of water called the vyver, represent both historically and topographically the centre of the hague. on the opposite side of the vyver lies the parallelogram formed by the fine houses and magnificent avenue of trees of the lange voorhout, the kneuterdyk and the vyverburg, representing the fashionable kernel of the city. close by lies the entrance to the haagsche bosch, or the wood, on one side of which is situated the deer-park, and a little beyond on the other the zoological gardens (1862). away from the lange voorhout the fine park straat stretches to the "1813 plein" or square, in the centre of which rises the large monument (1869) by jaquet commemorating the jubilee of the restoration of dutch independence in 1813. beyond this is the alexander veld, used as a military drill ground, and close by is the entrance to the beautiful road called the scheveningensche weg, which leads through the "little woods" to scheveningen. parallel to the park straat is the busy noordeinde, in which is situated the royal palace. the palace was purchased by the states in 1595, rebuilt by the stadtholder william iii., and extended by king william i. in the beginning of the 19th century. in front of the building is an equestrian statue of william i. of orange by count nieuerkerke (1845), and behind are the gardens and extensive stables. the binnenhof, which has been already mentioned, was once surrounded by a moat, and is still entered through ancient gateways. the oldest portion was founded in 1249 by william ii., count of holland, whose son, florens v., enlarged it and made it his residence. several centuries later the stadtholders also lived here. the fine old hall of the knights, built by florens, and now containing the archives of the home office, is the historic chamber in which the states of the netherlands abjured their allegiance to philip ii. of spain, and in front of which the grey-headed statesman johan van oldenbarneveldt was executed in 1619. close by on the one side are the courts of justice, and on the other the first and second chambers of the states-general, containing some richly painted ceilings and the portraits of various stadtholders. government offices occupy the remainder of the buildings, and in the middle of the court is a fountain surmounted by a statuette of william