The meeting rooms of the States General

Since 1588, the States General met at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The Binnenhof was the former residence of the Counts of Holland. This originally medieval building complex grew into the administrative centre of the Republic at the end of the sixteenth century. In addition to the States General, it housed the stadtholder of Holland, the Council of State, the Court of Audit, the Court of Holland and the States of Holland.

The regular meetings of the States General took place in the Statenzaal (States Hall), on the north side of the Binnenhof on the first floor. During a renovation in 1696-97, the Statenzaal was redecorated in Louis XIV style under the direction of the architect Daniel Marot. An attic was also added. This was where the archives of the States General would be kept.

Most of the well-known images of the States General date from the eighteenth century. The venue was not the Statenzaal, but an adjacent room. After negotiations had taken place in 1608 that would result in the Twelve Years’ Truce (Trêve de douze ans) between the Republic and Spain, this room became known as the ‘Trêvescamer’. During the renovation, a larger room was created that we still know today as the Trêveszaal. After the renovation, the States General met in both rooms. The Trêveszaal also served as an audience hall, where the States General received foreign envoys.

In the ordinary meeting room of the States General there was an oblong conference table. Here the delegates sat according to a fixed seating arrangement: each province had its place. Sometimes the meeting was attended by the Prince of Orange, who participated in his capacity as stadtholder of Holland. A special seat was ready for him. A limited number of places were reserved for each province at the meeting table. If more delegates were present, they had to attend the meeting standing. The clerk of the meeting initially sat at his own writing desk. Later he was given a place at the large meeting table.

For a long time, little was known about the interior of the Statenzaal before the renovation of the late seventeenth century. However, during the development of Goetgevonden, a painting from the first half of the seventeenth century surfaced. This painting shows a meeting of the States General from the year 1608. The painter depicted the Statenzaal with great attention to detail. We now know better what the meeting room of the States General looked like in the seventeenth century.