Why go
Understanding why the palace was built makes its name more meaningful: it opened in 1913 to provide a home for the Permanent Court of Arbitration. It also helps distinguish the institutions associated with the building from other international courts located elsewhere in The Hague. Check official arrangements before expecting interior access.
The full story
The palace grew from the effort to settle disputes between states through international law. The Permanent Court of Arbitration emerged from the Hague Convention of 1899, and Andrew Carnegie's funding helped provide a dedicated building. The palace opened on 28 August 1913. Its institutional role expanded during the twentieth century. The Permanent Court of International Justice arrived in 1922 under the League of Nations. In 1946, the International Court of Justice was established as the United Nations' principal judicial organ. These successive organisations place the building within the history of international cooperation, including the changes following the world wars. Legal research and teaching also belong to this story. The Peace Palace Library and Hague Academy of International Law connect the courtrooms with the study of law. The building's significance therefore reaches beyond individual cases: it brings adjudication, scholarship and the ambition of peaceful dispute resolution into one setting.