The Hague, a place familiar from television

The Hague Square (Plein), in the center stands a statue of William I, the father of the Dutch nation, full name Willem van Oranje. He led the Dutch independence war against Spanish colonial rule. After Orange was assassinated, his son Maurice carried out a series of reforms on the Dutch army, turning it into the foremost army in Europe at that time. Orange is revered as the father of the nation, and his descendants have governed the Netherlands for generations, becoming hereditary kings of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815, a lineage that continues to this day. The Dutch victory in the independence war against Spain established the world's first capitalist republic, marking not only the triumph of capitalism over feudalism but also a victory for national liberation against colonial rule, serving as a model for the subsequent American War of Independence led by Washington. After its independence, the Netherlands entered the glorious era of maritime supremacy in the 17th century. The last two photos are of the old Dutch Ministry of Justice.