Why go
The Gothic Ridderzaal, or Knights' Hall, gives a recognisable centre to a complex built up over centuries. Reading the Binnenhof as a former residence helps make sense of its enclosed courts and layered architecture. Check official visitor information before planning access to the complex or its interiors.
The full story
The Binnenhof grew from a residence associated with the counts of Holland during the thirteenth century. William II continued building work after becoming King of the Romans in 1248, but died before the great hall was completed. Construction continued under his son Floris V. The complex changed as successive rulers used and enlarged it. Walls, gates, a chapel and accommodation for visiting knights helped organise the court around its central buildings. Later expansion gradually enclosed the site, producing the accumulated architectural character associated with the Binnenhof. In 1584 it became the political centre of the Dutch Republic. That shift is the key to understanding the site: a count's residence became a setting for national government. The Hofvijver helps locate this history within The Hague, while the surviving medieval forms explain why its political architecture looks so different from a purpose-built modern parliament.