The Peace Palace

I can't think of a better thing to visit to start the year off.  I was so lucky to be able to tour the Peace Palace as it's not open to the public all the time.
The Peace Palace is over 100 years old.  It all started with Czar Nicholas II of Russia in 1898.  He sent out an invitation to heads of state all over the world to come together and discuss disarmament.  In 1899 delegations of 26 countries gathered in the Hague.  They agreed on the concept but needed a place to meet.  It was Andrew Carnegie who donated $1.5 million (a lot of money in those days) to build the Peace Palace.  In 1913 the Peace Palace was completed.  Countries donated pieces of art and material to put in this palace.  Marble from Italy, beautiful tapestries from Japan, vases from China and Hungary, carpets from Turkey and Persia.  Wood and stone came from Scandinavia and Brazil.  Contributions  came from all over.  Less than a year after the completion of the Peace Palace the First World War broke out.  Andrew Carnegie was devastated.



Some very important people have visited the Peace Palace



Spectacular!

The Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Permanent Court of International Justice reside in the Peace Palace.  Parties voluntarily enter into arbitration, the decision is binding without the possibility of appeal.  By having these disagreements go through arbitration it results in diffusing what could become a tense situation between two countries.
There is also a huge library attached to the Peace Palace as that was a stipulation by Andrew Carnegie when he donated the money to start construction of the Peace Palace.