Archaeologists Find a 700-Year-Old City Gate Buried Under the Binnenhof
Renovations at the Netherlands' parliamentary complex have uncovered the remains of the medieval Spuipoort, a gate that once controlled entry to the seat of Dutch power and will eventually be made visible to the public again.
Archaeologists working on the renovation of the Binnenhof in The Hague have unearthed the foundations of a medieval city gate that has been buried underground for more than 160 years. The discovery is the latest in a series of remarkable finds made possible by the ongoing restoration of the Netherlands' historic parliamentary complex.
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What was found
The remains belong to the Spuipoort, a gate that dates from the late 13th or early 14th century. The foundations were found just beside the current building of the House of Representatives, where they had lain hidden underground for centuries.
The Spuipoort was one of several gates that provided access to the Binnenhof, which from the late 13th century was surrounded by a system of double moats and multiple gates leading onto the central courtyard. The gate originally had two round towers on either side, which were later replaced by two octagonal towers in the 15th century. It also had an upper floor, a saddle roof and served as a guardhouse. The outer moat was filled in 1861 and the gate was demolished the same year, with the foundations buried beneath the ground.
According to archaeologist Peter Stokkel, the Binnenhof was where power resided in medieval times, meaning only the elite would have passed through the gate. "The Binnenhof was where power sat, so only the elite came through under the gate," he said.
How it is being studied
The team is using 3D scanning technology to map the remains in precise detail. Stokkel says the medieval stonework is delicate and must be handled carefully. The scan allows researchers to record exactly where each brick belongs so it can be put back in the right place.
Archaeologist Andjelko Pavlovic noted that new technologies like 3D scanning allow the remains to be studied in ways that were previously unthinkable.
Parts of the gate had already been uncovered during earlier excavations in 1987, ahead of the construction of the current House of Representatives building. The ongoing renovation now gives researchers the chance to re-examine those remains using modern techniques and reach parts of the site that were not previously accessible.
What will happen to the remains
The plan is for the foundations to eventually be made visible again within the new entrance gateway to the Binnenhof after the renovation is complete. Stokkel described this as a remarkable prospect. "How cool is it that you will have the first gate inside the last gate. For us as Hague archaeologists, that is very special," he said.
The broader renovation
The Binnenhof, which houses both chambers of the Dutch parliament as well as the Council of State, has been under renovation since it was vacated in 2022. The project was originally budgeted at 475 million euros with a completion date of late 2026. Costs are now expected to reach at least 2 billion euros and the delivery date has already been pushed back twice, currently extending well beyond 2028.
Minister Keijzer of Spatial Planning has said the archaeological finds are not causing additional delays, as this kind of discovery had been factored into the planning. She acknowledged the project is complex and difficult to plan.
This is far from the only remarkable find made during the dig. Previous excavations at the site have uncovered medieval building foundations suggesting the Binnenhof was far larger in the 13th century than previously thought, human remains from burial vaults beneath the Court Chapel, lion bones from a medieval menagerie kept by the Count of Holland, and a tuna vertebra from a fish that does not naturally live in Dutch waters.
