During the 19th century, the ideal of peace flourished as never before. The political tensions and consequent threat of war on the threshold of the 20th century further fueled the popularity of the increasingly widespread peace movement. Peace organisations were founded throughout Europe and America, inspired by the ideas of famous writers and pacifists such as Leo Tolstoy, Bertha von Suttner, and Alfred Nobel.

In 1899, at the initiative of Russian Czar Nicholas II, 26 countries gathered to discuss disarmament, international jurisdiction, and arbitration. This “First Hague Peace Conference” established the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Peace Palace. In 1907, the “Second Hague Peace Conference” was organised, in which 44 countries participated.

During the Second Peace Conference in 1907, the foundation stone of the Peace Palace was laid. The building was intended to house the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the largest international law and peace library. On 28 August 1913, in the presence of the Dutch Royal Family, financier Andrew Carnegie, and an international group of jurists, politicians, and pacifists, the key to the Peace Palace was handed over.

In addition to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Peace Palace now houses the United Nations International Court of Justice, the Hague Academy of International Law and the Peace Palace Library. The Carnegie Foundation is the owner and manager of the Peace Palace.

The Palace still embodies the decades-old dream of world peace, and the Carnegie Foundation works daily to improve the world by convening, educating, and inspiring people worldwide.