english
Vredespaleis in Den Haag
Ever since my childhood, I have been living in the neighbourhood of the „Peace Palace“ in The Hague. It is nice to go for a walk there, because it is situated in the embassy area and next to the ‘Scheveningse Bos’, a popular park.
The building itself is a landmark and one of the key sightseeing spots of The Hague; it is built in neo-renaissance style and has been designed by the famous French architect Louis M. Cordonnier. At present it houses the Permanent Court of Arbitrage, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations and the The Hague Academy of International Law. It is also home to an extensive library on justice.
And yet, I cannot stop asking myself what the highly ambitious title of such a prominent building can mean to us in these times of global change and cultural diversity.
Peace is the highest good for all of us and certainly the most important common goal to achieve. But how can we translate its concept, which we are confronted with daily, so that it becomes more than just a monument in neo-renaissance style?
What then is peace or what should it be ? And what does it mean to you? Where are conceptual differences to be seen, not only in politics but also and above all in culture and artistic dialogue?
Circle-24 would like to invite you to share your opinions on peace in life and art, to present your intellectual and artistic answers and with that initiate a worldwide dialogue.
We will support these contributions with links and facts as a basis for a fruitful dialogue.
It is our aim to open this dialogue in order to arrive at a common understanding of the role and significance of art in the development of peace and offer a platform for the cultural exchange necessary to safeguard it. (translation: Angelika Legde)
Robert Schilder
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