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Gevangenpoort. THE HAGUE. 39. Route. 329
built by William III. in 1697 as a reception-room, contains the
portraits of seven stadtholders by Brandon and other painters. The
handsome ceiling is by Th. van der Schuer, to whom is due also
the picture over the chimney-piece (1698). The room has a curious
echo (entrance in the N.E. corner, Binnenhof 20; ring the bell at
the staircase on the right; adm., see p. 317). — From the small
vestibule on the N. side of the court (No. 21) we proceed by the
staircase (with engraved portraits of famous naval heroes, generals,
and statesmen) and an antechamber (with portraits of stadtholders)
to the CHamMBEr or THE Estates or HoLLanp, built in 1652 and
now used for the sittings of the First Chamber (adm., see p. 317).
This contains two chimney-pieces, by Jan Lievens (War) and Adr.
Hanneman (Peace), and a richly painted ceiling.
The Batt Room, on the S. side of the court, dating from 1790, is
now used for the sittings of the Second Chamber (adm., seep. BLO):
In the centre of the court is a modern wrought-iron fountain
(1885), by P. J. H. Cuypers, with a gilt statuette of Count William I.
of Holland by L. Junger.
The history of the Republic, during its most glorious period, was sullied
by two dark tr. _ of which the Binnenhof was witness. The influential
John van Oldenbarnevelt (p. x the Grand Pensionary, or prime minister
of Holland, having incur e displeasure of Prince Maurice of Orange
by his opp ion, the Stadtholder, during a meeting of the States General,
lt to be arrested, together with his learned friends
i Grotius (p. 3141) and Hogerbeets, the Pension-
den. The two latter were conducted to the
ein (p. 4 while the Grand Pensionary himself was
h, ‘for haying conspired to dismember the States of
aries of Rotte
castle of Loeve
condemned to ¢
the Netherlands, and greatly troubled God’s Church’ (comp. p. 457). On
43th 1619. the unfortunate minister, then in his 72nd year, was
execu on a scaffold erected in the Binnenhof, after having written a
g vindication of his innocence to his family, and solemnly declared
scaffold that ‘he had ever acted from sincerely pious and patriotic
motives’. The other tragedy alluded to is the death of the brothers De
wane ate took place in the immediate neighbourhood of the Binnenhof
The Burrenuor (Pl. D, 5), a large open space adjoining the
Binnenhof on the W., and also bounded on the N.E. side by the
Vyver, is adorned with a bronze Statue of William II. (d. 1849),
designed by E. I’. Georges (1853). — From the S.W. angle the
Passage (p. 334) leads to the busy Spuistraat.
The Gevangenpoort (Pl. D, 4), an ancient tower with a gate-
way leading (N.) from the Buitenhof to the Plaats, was formerly
used for the confinement of political prisoners. In 1672 Cornelis
de Witt, who was falsely accused of a conspiracy against the life
of the Stadtholder William I1J., was imprisoned here. His brother
John de Witt, the Grand Pensionary, hearing that his brother was
in danger, hastened to the tower to afford him protection. The
infuriated populace, who had been induced by the enemies of the
two brothers to believe in their guilt, availed themselves of this
opportunity, and, having forced their way into the prison, seized |
