University of Wisconsin–Madison

Netherlands: Heewone Lim (Learning on Excursions)

Learning on Excursions

A grand building with a large clocktower on the left side. The building is a red brick, has a very pointed roof, and sits in front of a grassy patch.
The Peace Palace!

LawCo, a club dedicated to programming law-related activities, organized an outing to the Hague for a tour of the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Permanent Court of Arbitration and The Hague Academy of International Law.

The interior of the Peace Palace is incredibly ornate, with beautiful stained glass windows and intricate ceiling designs. There are gifts from states all around the world scattered across the palace, such as the French painting “La Paix par la Justice,” which is displayed inside the court. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures inside the palace aside from the courtroom because “diplomats can be very shy,” according to our tour guide.

Chairs and two projectors sit in front of a wall with three arched stain glass windows.
The stained glass windows were one of my favorite parts about the courtroom.

We visited the green room, the red room and the courtroom. The green room features portraits of former PCIJ members, which was the ICJ’s predecessor. The green room is used more ceremoniously rather than functionally, as judges get into their robes in this room. The red room is a little bit more modern, featuring portraits of ICJ Presidents, and is used as a break room for the judges during hearings.

Blue, carpeted stairs lead up to a long desk where fifteen white chairs sit behind.
The bench where the 15 ICJ judges sit. Definitely surreal to see.

A fun little connection the US has with the Peace Palace is that it was built from funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. He donated $1.5 million, or around $50 million when adjusted for inflation. Today, the Carnegie foundation still owns and manages the Peace Palace.

While I’d visited the Hague before, being able to actually go inside the palace and physically be in the room where cases are heard was surreal. I’m taking an international law class this semester, so being able to understand what our tour guide was talking about was also a super cool experience.

Until next time, doei doei!

Heewone smiles in front of a window overlooking a lake on a foggy day.

Heewone Lim 

Major: Journalism

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin

Program: University College Utrecht Honors Exchange in the Netherlands