Peace Palace: International symbol of peace and justice

Feel the heat from the Flame of Peace on your back as you take in the view of the most photographed building in The Hague: the Peace Palace. This edifice is the home of the International Court of Justice – the only judicial body of the United Nations outside New York – and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Thanks to this wonderful building and the organisations it accommodates, The Hague is known all over the world as the city of Peace and Justice.

The Eternal Flame of Peace burns right next to the entrance to the Peace Palace. The first Flame of Peace in the Netherlands was placed next to the entrance gates of the Peace Palace on 18 April 2002. The monument bears the inscription: "May all beings find peace". In 2004, a path, the World Peace Flame Pathway, was constructed which now encircles the monument with an edge built from 196 stones of various sizes from 196 different countries. Some stones are very special, such as stone broken off the Berlin Wall and a stone from Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent many years in jail.