Memorial Needle Rijswijk
This eye-catcher in the Rijswijk forests was erected in memory of the Peace of Rijswijk (1697). The memorial needle is placed on the spot where the stadholder's palace Huis ter Nieuburch of Amalia van Solms and Frederik Hendrik used to be. The peace treaty between the Grand Alliance and France was signed in this palace on 20 September 1697. This put an end to the Nine Years' War (1688-1697). The building with moats and towers, once lavishly decorated by Amalia, was demolished in 1785. The coats of arms of the countries that signed the peace can be seen on the four sides of the obelisk.
Location
Rijswijk
Year built
1792-1794
Architect
Philip Willem Schonck
Client
Stadholder William V
Special feature
Built with stone from the vanished stadholder palace Huis ter Nieuburg
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Wheelchair accessible
Yes
Visitor information
The memorial post is located in the Rijswijk Forest and is therefore free to view.
Visiting address:
Huys Ter Nieuburchlaan, Rijswijk
Frederik Hendrik van Oranje (1584 – 1647) and his wife Amalia van Solms-Braunfels (1602 – 1675) had Huis ter Nieuburch built between 1630 and 1634. At the same time as the house was built, a large garden in French style was laid out. Stadholder Frederik Hendrik did not want just any old country house; he opted for a palace that would impress and give him princely allure. The grounds of the palace, including the gardens, stretched over a length of at least 600 metres and a width of 270 metres. Amalia was responsible for the furnishing of the halls.
In 1644, Frederik Hendrik stipulated in his will that 'his much-loved wife' would be allowed to live in 'the house near Rijswijk' after his death. However, Amalia preferred The Hague to Rijswijk and decided to rent out the palace. After her death in 1675, her grandson Willem III inherited the palace.
Huis ter Nieuburch gained its greatest fame at the end of the so-called Nine Years' War, when King-Stadtholder William III made the palace available for conducting international peace negotiations. In September 1697, the German states, England and the Dutch Republic concluded peace with France in the palace: the Peace of Rijswijk .
Amalia van Solms-Braunfels came to live in The Hague at the age of 18 as a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth Stuart. There she met the 36-year-old Frederik Hendrik van Oranje, son of William of Orange. They married in 1625. In the same year, Frederik Hendrik succeeded his half-brother Maurits as stadtholder and captain and admiral-general of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel. As an army commander, he preferred sieges to battles. His exceptional success in besieging cities earned him the nickname 'city-conqueror'.
Although Amalia had no official function as stadholder's wife, she was given a key function at the court in The Hague. When Frederik Hendrik was on campaign, Amalia kept him informed of what was happening in the court city. From around 1640, her position became even stronger , when Frederik Hendrik was no longer able to make important decisions due to illness. Amalia built up a position of power for herself and exerted influence on both domestic and foreign policy. Anyone who wanted to get something done with the stadholder had to report to Amalia. In the last months of his life, Frederik Hendrik even requested the States General to officially appoint his wife as his deputy. But the States General did not agree to this. Nevertheless, Amalia was still involved in historical moments, such as the Peace of Münster (1648). For her efforts, she was given the lordship of Turnhout by the Spanish.
After William III inherited the palace around 1674, the building stood empty for some time. In 1697, some adjustments were made for the peace negotiations. For example, the palace was provided with extra gates for the carriages of the negotiating parties. After that, however, the building stood empty again. This caused decay. The garden also suffered; in the second half of the 18th century, it was dug up into a vegetable garden.
Philips Willem Schonck, the architect of stadtholder Willem V (1748 – 1806), investigated the condition of the building in 1788. The investigation showed that the costs of the restoration would be too high. Schonck then advised to demolish the building and offer the materials for sale. Two years later, the palace was therefore demolished.
From the proceeds of the sale of the building materials, William V had the memorial needle for the Peace of Rijswijk erected in 1794. The needle itself was also made from the building materials of the palace.
The needle consists of a pedestal covered with natural stone, on which a text is applied. Loosely translated from Latin it says: 'In honor of the great good God, who has given us peace and in memory of the Rijswijk Peace, William V of Orange Nassau, has erected this monument on this ground of the dilapidated house. In the year of our Lord 1792'.
The memorial needle survived all the unrest and power changes that followed between 1795 and 1815. The monument entered the Kingdom of the Netherlands undamaged. Eventually, half of the park was sold in 1876. It was divided into plots and completely built over the years. The rest of the site has been preserved as a park to this day, with the needle as its centrepiece. Only the central avenue and the two rectangular ponds are reminders of the formal garden layout of yesteryear.
Since 2016, the needle has been in the hands of Monumentenbezit. Within our portfolio, memorials, such as the memorial needle in Rijswijk, occupy a modest place. They require little maintenance and are not rented out. Between the impressive churches and castles, they all too easily end up in the background. That is not right, as is evident from this publication by our colleague Jeroen about the Needle of Rijswijk.