The Hague - Peace Palace Library Vredespaleis

Just north of the Mesdag Museum, in Carnegieplein, is the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis), an imposing brick building (1907-13), for the construction of which Andrew Carnegie, then the richest man in the world, donated $1-.5million. The style of the building is a mingling of Gothic and neo-classical. Flanking the long arcaded facade with its steeply pitched roof is an 80m/260ft high tower.

Housed in the building are the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Academy of International Law and a library of international law which until 1955 was the best in the world. Countries from all over the world contributed to the rich decoration of the interior. The marble for the lobbies and the grand staircase came from Italy, the wood for the paneling from Brazil and the United States, the ornamental iron railings surrounding the grounds from Germany. The windows on the ground floor are of Delft lead glass and the walls are clad with Delft tiles. The accumulation of all these various elements, fine though they are in themselves, sometimes produces a rather eclectic effect, as in the monumental entrance, almost Byzantine in style, with its large gold chandeliers, marble floor in rosette patterns and white marble staircase.