"Den Haag" a The Hague Travel Page by sammie

The Hague is not only the official seat of parliament, it is also the home of our Royal Family. If the flag is raised at Huis Ten Bosch Palace, Queen Beatrix is in residence. The Queen has her offices in Noordeinde Palace, in the city center. Every year, on the third Tuesday of September, the Royal Family rides in the Golden Coach to the Binnenhof. Queen Beatrix officially opens the new parliamentary year by making her annual address from the throne at the Ridderzaal. This adress isn't written by the Queen herself, but by the minister-president, mr. Balkenende.

Over the years, The Hague has grown into a cosmopolitan city; it's now the site of no fewer than three royal palaces, 64 foreign embassies, and European headquarters for innumerable international engineering, oil, and chemical concerns. The lush greenery of its original hunting grounds remains in the large parks, gardens, and woods that continue to thrive within the city limits.