Peace Palace

The Peace Palace (Dutch: Vredespaleis; French: Palais de la Paix) is an international courthouse in The Hague, Netherlands. It houses the International Court of Justice (which is the principal judicial body of the United Nations), and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

The palace officially opened on 28 August 1913; it was built to provide a courthouse for the PCA, a court created to end war by the Hague Convention of 1899. In addition to its function as the headquarters of the PCA since 1913 and of the International Court of Justice since 1946, the palace continues to serve as the Courts' main hearing facilities and hosts dozen of hearings each year.