Why The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands

The short answer: Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands because the Constitution says so. The Hague is the seat of government: parliament, the ministries, the Supreme Court and the King’s working palace are all here. The split goes back to the French period, when a king installed by Napoleon made Amsterdam his capital while the business of governing never left The Hague.

It is the question visitors ask most on our walking tours of The Hague, and the full story explains a lot about how the city looks and feels today.

How did The Hague begin?

The Hague did not start as a trading or fishing town but as a court. Around 1230, Count Floris IV of Holland bought a court in an area then known as Die Haghe, and the counts of Holland built it out into the complex we now call the Binnenhof. Officials, noblemen, traders and craftsmen settled around it, and the village grew into the place where Holland was governed.

Yet The Hague never received city rights, and so it never got the defensive walls that came with them. That mattered in wartime: because The Hague had no walls, William of Orange moved his government to walled Delft during the Eighty Years’ War.

Why did the Dutch Republic govern from The Hague?

When the independent Dutch Republic emerged in the late 1500s, power lay with the provinces and the cities, and their representatives met as the States General in the Binnenhof. Holland was the strongest of the seven provinces and Amsterdam by far its richest city, which is exactly why the government did not move there: a seat in Amsterdam would have handed one city even more influence. The Hague, without a powerful merchant class of its own, was the more neutral meeting place.

When did Amsterdam become the capital?

Under French rule. In 1806 Napoleon made his brother Louis Napoleon king of the new Kingdom of Holland. That same year, during a visit, Louis declared The Hague a city, although by then the title carried few privileges. He soon moved his court to Amsterdam, the country’s economic centre, and in 1808 he took Amsterdam’s 17th-century city hall on Dam Square as his royal palace. Amsterdam became the capital of his kingdom.

Why did Amsterdam stay the capital after the French left?

After the fall of Napoleon in 1813, the future King William I gave the palace on Dam Square back to the city of Amsterdam. In the Constitution of 1814 Amsterdam was laid down as the capital. A year later the north and south were joined into one kingdom with present-day Belgium, and to avoid offending the southern provinces the line was dropped again. The government worked from The Hague throughout.

Amsterdam only returned to the Constitution in 1983. Article 32 says the King is sworn in and inaugurated “in the capital, Amsterdam”, and that is the only place where the Constitution calls Amsterdam the capital. The palace on Dam Square became state property in 1936 and is still used by the royal family for official receptions.

Sources: Haags Gemeentearchief, De kortste geschiedenis van Den Haag (2026); Royal House of the Netherlands, history of the Royal Palace Amsterdam; Dutch Constitution, Article 32; AT5 interview with a historian on the 1814 and 1815 constitutions (2023).

What is in The Hague today?

Both chambers of parliament, the ministries, the Supreme Court and the Council of State, plus the Peace Palace with the International Court of Justice and dozens of other international organisations. The King works at Noordeinde Palace and lives with his family at Huis ten Bosch Palace, both in The Hague.

The Binnenhof itself is closed for a major renovation that is expected to last until 2031. Until then the House of Representatives meets in the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Bezuidenhoutseweg, near Den Haag Centraal station, and the Senate in the former Supreme Court building on the Lange Voorhout.

Why does this matter for visitors?

Because The Hague is not the capital, many visitors skip it or give it an afternoon. Yet its history explains why it feels so different from Amsterdam: instead of merchant canals you find quiet squares, government buildings, palaces that are still in use and the international courts. Our guide to The Hague shows what to see. And if the House of Orange interests you, Delft is close by: William of Orange is buried in its Nieuwe Kerk.

Frequently asked questions

Is The Hague the capital of the Netherlands?

No. Amsterdam is the capital, as Article 32 of the Constitution states. The Hague is the seat of government and parliament, and the city where the King works.

Why is the Dutch government not in Amsterdam?

Because it never moved. The counts of Holland governed from the Binnenhof from the 13th century, the Dutch Republic kept its States General there, and when Amsterdam became the capital under Louis Napoleon, the institutions stayed in The Hague.

Where does the Dutch King live and work?

King Willem-Alexander lives with his family at Huis ten Bosch Palace and works at Noordeinde Palace, both in The Hague. The Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam is used for official receptions and is open to the public for most of the year.

Can you visit the Binnenhof during the renovation?

The Binnenhof buildings are closed until the renovation is finished, expected in 2031. ProDemos runs guided tours of the House of Representatives at its temporary home on the Bezuidenhoutseweg, in Dutch; booking is on the ProDemos website.

When did Amsterdam officially become the capital?

In practice in 1808, when Louis Napoleon made it the capital of his kingdom. In law it was written into the Constitution in 1814, taken out in 1815, and only written in again in 1983.