• A. Amsterdam
  • B. The Hague
  • C. Utrecht
  • D. Rotterdam

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Think of the Peace Palace and all those international courts you sometimes hear about in the news.

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The correct answer is B. The Hague. The nickname refers to all the international legal institutions located there – the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Pretty impressive for a city that isn’t even officially the capital.

📚 More background information

The Hague has truly earned its nickname ‘City of Peace and Justice’. The Peace Palace is of course the most famous symbol – that imposing building from 1913 that you can’t miss. Funny enough, it was paid for by Andrew Carnegie, an American steel magnate who apparently liked to spend some of his fortune on world peace.

What many people don’t realize: The Hague is truly a mini-UN. There are more than 200 international organizations based there, from Europol to the organization that monitors chemical weapons (OPCW). With approximately 170 embassies and consulates, it’s literally the world’s third diplomatic capital after Washington and Brussels. Not bad for a city of less than half a million inhabitants.

The whole story actually began with the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907. Tsar Nicholas II – yes, the one from Russia – decided it was time for some international agreements on war and peace. Pretty progressive, though you might question how serious he was considering what happened later.

It remains a bit odd that Amsterdam is officially the capital, while all the government buildings and the royal house are simply located in The Hague. But well, that’s another story. The point is: if important decisions are being made anywhere in the world about international conflicts, human rights, or war crimes, it’s probably happening in The Hague. Every single day.