The Catshuis (English: Cats House), initially known as Huis Sorgvliet (Sorgvliet House), is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands () or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers () is the ''de facto'' head of government of the Netherlands.''Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden'' onstitution of the Kingdom of the N ...

. Built between 1651 and 1652 for

Jacob Cats Jacob Cats (10 November 1577 – 12 September 1660) was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books. Early years Jacob Cats was born on 10 November 1577 in Brouwershaven. Having lost his mother at ...

as private villa, it was renamed after him after his death. The Catshuis lies in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

on the road to

Scheveningen Scheveningen () is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict () of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is popular ...

. It has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1963, although

Dries van Agt Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader o ...

was the last premier to live there. Prime Ministers since then have preferred to live in their own homes. The Catshuis residence is mainly used to house political meetings and receive official guests.

History

As Huis Sorgvliet it was built on the site of a former farm, part of the living quarters were likely incorporated in the left wing, by

(1577–1660), a prominent poet and politician who lived there from 14 July 1652. Originally it had only one storey. In 1675 estate Sorgvliet came into the possession of

Hans Willem Bentinck William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Hans Willem Bentinck''; 20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch-born English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William III of England, William, Prince of Or ...

, chamberlain of the future King-Stadholder

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

(1650–1702). His son, Willem Bentinck, had a bronze bell and tower installed in 1738. To conform with modern norms of security, logistics, climatisation, hygiene, comfort and technical aspects of management, it was extensively renovated from 1999 to 2004.

Gallery

File:Overzicht voorzijde Catshuis - 's-Gravenhage - 20358399 - RCE.jpg, Front of the Catshuis File:Overzicht achterzijde Catshuis - 's-Gravenhage - 20358398 - RCE.jpg, Back of the Catshuis File:G7 in het Catshuis.jpg, G7 leaders during the emergency meeting about the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrain ...

, hosted by the Netherlands

Sources

*Introductiedossier Ministerie van Algemene Zaken (in Dutch)
Catshuis
{{coord, 52.090, N, 4.285, E, display=title, source:nlwiki Official residences in the Netherlands Prime ministerial residences