{"id":6667,"date":"2020-06-15T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T16:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=6667"},"modified":"2020-06-15T16:49:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T16:49:00","slug":"binnenhof-treveszaal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/binnenhof-treveszaal\/","title":{"rendered":"Binnenhof: Tr\u00eaveszaal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The B<\/em>innenhof\u00a0<\/em>(Inner Court) is the center of the Dutch overheid\u00a0<\/em>(government). Located in the heart of Den Haag <\/em>(The Hague), it oozes Dutch geschiedenis <\/em>(history) and verhalen <\/em>(stories). In this series, we’ll go building by building and explore what each is all about. Today, let’s check out the\u00a0Tr\u00eaveszaal<\/em>!<\/p>\n

For more posts in the\u00a0Binnenhof\u00a0<\/em>series, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

What is the Tr\u00eaveszaal<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The B<\/em>innenhof<\/em>. Click on the image to see a version with an annotation of what each of the buildings is (Image by Rijksvastgoedbedrijf at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC0)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Tr\u00eaveszaal\u00a0<\/em>(Tr\u00eaves Hall) is located next to the\u00a0Torentje<\/em>, at the bottom right on the picture above, looking out onto the\u00a0Hofvijver\u00a0<\/em>(Court Pond).<\/p>\n

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From left to right: the Mauritshuis<\/em>, the Torentje<\/em>, and the Tr\u00eaveszaal<\/em>, with the Hofvijver<\/em> in front (Image by Ellen26 at Pixabay.com).<\/p><\/div>\n

The hall was built in 1696. But it was not built from the ground up, but rather renovated the rooms that came before it. The building itself probably goes back to the early days of the Binnenhof<\/a>. In 1588, at the beginning of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden <\/em>(Republic of the Seven United Netherlands), the Staten-Generaal<\/a> <\/em>began using these halls as their vergaderzalen\u00a0<\/em>(meeting halls). This was at a time when the Dutch were still in war with the Spanish, who claimed ownership over the Dutch lands. The Tachtigjarige Oorlog <\/em>(Eighty Years’ War) would only end 60 years later in 1648, with the Peace of Westphalia. Those warring times were interrupted only by a brief period of relative peace – the Twaalfjarig Bestand\u00a0<\/em>(Twelve Years’ Truce), from 1609-1621. This Tr\u00eave<\/i>, the French word for truce, was negotiated in 1608 in a hall that we now know as the Tr\u00eaveszaal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Like the early days of the United States, the early days of the Dutch Republic were function over form. It didn’t matter that the halls didn’t look mighty. While this worked very well for its early days, its shortcomings became clear after a few decades. In 1620, a foreigner called the\u00a0Tr\u00eaveszaal <\/em>a “povero luogo”, a “shabby place”. And so there was a growing demand for more pronk\u00a0<\/em>(splendour), which came as the Staten-Generaal\u00a0<\/em>gained in influence. Finally, in 1696, the\u00a0Staten-Generaal <\/em>decided to verbouwen <\/em>(remodel) two of the halls in which they met. One was to be a “zaal waar gezanten op gepaste wijze ontvangen konden worden”\u00a0<\/em>(hall where envoys could be welcomed in a proper manner). And that’s how the\u00a0Tr\u00eaveszaal\u00a0<\/em>became the fancy, Louis XIV-style space as we know it today.<\/p>\n

The hall has not undergone many changes since then. During renovations, it has mostly been spared. In 2002, a few changes were made, updates if you will. New\u00a0kroonluchters\u00a0<\/em>(chandeliers) were installed, a new\u00a0vergadertafel\u00a0<\/em>(meeting table) was placed, and the\u00a0tapijt\u00a0<\/em>(carpet) and\u00a0gordijnen\u00a0<\/em>(curtains) were renewed.<\/p>\n

Why does the\u00a0<\/strong>Tr\u00eaveszaal <\/em><\/strong>matter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n