Herinneringsroute Atlantikwall Den Haag
The Peace Palace
The Peace Palace remained open as a tourist attraction for most of the war but the work of the Permanent Court of International Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration was suspended.
The building was used to house the libraries of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and colonial ministry. A collection of books on the rights of evacuees was also formed there. In addition, the Peace Palace was used to store furniture and even a window from Duinoord Church, which had been demolished to make way for the Atlantic Wall. Remarkably, the clandestine newspaper Je Maintiendrai was printed at the Peace Palace for a time. It is unclear whether this occurred with or without the knowledge of the management of the building and/or the library staff. The gardens were used to grow vegetables for private consumption and a few large trees were cut down for firewood, which was shared out among the personnel.