Prison Gate Museum and the Peace Palace
The Prison Gate Museum
Intro
On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 10:00 am we all went to the Prison Gate Museum. This was one of my favorite places to learn. This self-guided tour was good and it didn’t throw too much information towards the viewer, but it was still an informative experience. Everything was interesting and it kept me captivated.
What is Prison Gate?
The prison gate museum is an actual prison that was closed down in the early 1800s. Before it was shut down it was used as a prison to convict and hold prisoners that committed all kinds of crime, from petty theft to murder. This prison was made in the thirteenth century and became an actual prison in 1433. The prison was a state prison.
The Tour
In the tour we explored the warden’s chambers and information about what the warden’s day-to-day life looked like, we saw the Gajols which is where the prisoners were locked up while waiting for interrogation or punishment, we looked at the Knights chamber where wealthy men would stay and the women's room where higher class women would stay, we saw the iron room which is a room that was added onto the prison gate because the amount of prisoners was so high they didn’t have enough room, so this room was added for the extra prisoners, we looked at the stock attic where the punishments would be executed, this room is where executions, the death penalty, would be carried out. We also learned about shame and corporal punishment in the stock attic. Attached to the stock attic is the De Wicquetfort room, which is a specific room made for Abraham De Wicquetfort because he refused to confess to his crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. After the stock attic is the hostage attic for people waiting for punishment and people who are in debt. The second part of the tour took us through an example trial and we get to ‘meet’ an executioner and learn about what he does. We lastly take a look at public humiliation as a punishment.
Conclusion
Prison Gate Museum was a good experience and I would go back. My favorite part of the tour was being able to go through the actual prison and see what it was like back when it was a prison. Seeing the rooms and the punishments made the experience more captivating. I learned a lot of things about what it was like to be in prison in the 13th century to the early 1800s. I also learned about how flawed the trials were. If someone was accused of a crime, they were pretty much found guilty every time. Interrogation was also not fair because they would torture the information out of the prisoners. One thing I found interesting was how easy it was to escape this prison, which poses the question, if you could escape Prison Gate, would you?
The Peace Palace
Intro
On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, the group went to The Peace Palace. We took a virtual tour of The Peace Palace by listening to information about the Peace Palace and looking at images on the walls in a building outside of the Peace Palace. We first scanned a QR code and then we listened to the history and current state of what was and is happening with the Peace Palace. For this tour, we were unable to go into the actual building of the Peace Palace, however, if the inside was as alluring as the outside, I have no doubt that it is a beautiful building. Not only is it a beautiful building, this building also has a rich and interesting history.
What is the Peace Palace?
The Peace Palace was made in August 1913 in Den Hague, The Netherlands. Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist, funded the Peace Palace. Carnegie believed that he should focus his wealth on libraries and educational institutions, so he opened the Peace Palace. Now, what is the Peace Palace? Well, the Peace Palace houses the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which is a court that helps resolve issues in international circles. This isn’t the only court this building houses, The Peace Palace also houses the United Nations International Court of Justice which aids in helping the UN legally. Lastly, The Peace Palace houses The Hague Academy of International Law. This is a school for high-level students to take courses in International law. With these three things being housed in The Peace Palace, it shows that Carnegie put his money towards education that is still being used to this day.
Designing the Building
When it came to designing this beautiful building, over 200 architects wanted to be involved in designing the building, but only one would be chosen. Architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier sent in his designs for the palace and was the one chosen to design the building. However, Cordonnier’s design was too complex and wouldn’t be able to be done, so a different architect was asked to simplify the design. That is the design that is the Peace Palace today. The building design wasn’t the only thing that many people wanted to design, the gardens were also popular with designers. An Englishman named Thomas Mawson was chosen to design the gardens, however his plans were too extravagant and due to the budget, the design was never carried out.
Importance of International Law
One thing that was highlighted in this experience at the Peace Palace was the importance of International law. The Peace Palace is a home to many international cases, issues, learning, and information, so the importance of international law in regards to the Peace Palace is very significant. The Peace Palace was actually awarded a medal in 1999 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands. The metal shows a symbol that represents the arrangement of the law and governing international peace. One of the books in the library that was highlighted in this tour and that interested me the most was the book “Mare Liberum” meaning ‘The freedom of the seas’ in Latin. This book was written by Hugo Grotius in 1609. This book is significant because it discusses the concept of who owns the sea. Grotius talks about the idea that no nation owns the sea therefore every nation can use the sea. Besides the coasts that hit the nation, Grotius explores the idea that people should be able to fish and sail the seas without other nations getting in the way or fighting over who owns what parts of the seas. This book is in the Peace Palace and I really enjoyed learning about this book.
Conclusion
I learned a lot when we went to the Peace Palace, however, after everything we learned and did in The Netherlands, I would not choose to go on this tour again. The Peace Palace is an interesting and useful place, but we were unable to go into the building itself and I feel like I would have enjoyed a more hands-on experience. I do enjoy how the Peace Palace emphasizes ‘Peace through Law’. This concept is even used in the United States with our court system. Law is important nationally and internationally, and the Peace Palace shows and teaches this.
