Place details
Place nameHague, The
Other names's-Gravenhage, 's Gravenhage, Gravenhage, 's-, Den Haag, Haag, The Hague, s Gravenhage, La Haye, Haye, La, Aia
CountryNederland
Latitude52.083
Longitude4.267
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Originally located in woodland called Haghe ("hedge"), town grew around residence of counts of Holland. In 1248, Wilhelm II built a castle, which his successors have expanded into the present-day buildings. Grew economically in the late 14th century when the judiciary moved from Holland and Zeeland to the Hague and later it became the seat of the stadholders and the government under Maurice of Orange (1567-1625). At the turn of the 19th century, it became an important conference center and headquarters for many institutions, most notably the International Court of Justice of the United Nations.