The Hague - Prison Gate

(Local Name: Gevangenpoort) On the north side of the Binnenhof square stands the Gevangenpoort (Prison Gate), with a collection of medieval instruments of torture. Built in 1296 as the gatehouse of the Binnenhof, it was converted into a prison in the 15th century. Here the brothers Cornelis and Johan de Witt, accused of an attempt on the life of Prince William III, were murdered in 1672. In the square to the north is a monument to Jan de Witt. The old prison and torture chambers have been open to the public as a museum since the beginning of the 20th century, with a collection of pictures, prints and relics illustrating the administration of justice in the 17th century and the imprisonment of Cornelis de Witt.