Delft and Den Haag

We went on a bus tour today and visited Delft and The Hague. Delft is known for its fine blue porcelain, which has been produced in the town since the 16th century. True original Delftware is painted by hand and signed with the manufacturer’s name and year the piece was produced. We visited De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, a factory/museum where we saw this master painter at work. It is a highly skilled job, taking 10 years to acquire the skills needed to become a master.

Although Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, The Hague is its political capital where the International Court of Justice sits, Dutch Parliament is held, and the Royal Family resides. Our tour stopped at the Peace Palace, where the International Court of Justice sits. Opened on August 28, 1903, construction of the building was funded by a $1.5M donation from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. First occupied by the Permanent Court of Arbitration and then by successor courts, the Palace has been home to the International Court of Justice since 1946, following the forming of the United Nations on October 24, 1945.

While in The Hague, we also stopped in the Binnenhof, which is a complex of Parliament and other government buildings most of which were built in the 13th century and originally was used as residences for the counts of Holland.