News item | 17-11-2025 | 1:00 PM
The renovation of the historic Binnenhof in The Hague is expected to be completed in the summer of 2031. Visitors and local residents can then walk through the Binnenhof. The first users will have access to the construction site from early 2031 to prepare for their move. The move back to the Binnenhof is carried out by the users themselves and individually.
In 2023, the then Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment reported that the renovation would not be completed until the end of 2028 at the earliest. It was already indicated that there were still various risks and that an updated plan would be drawn up in 2025. Now that most contracts with contractors have been concluded and designs have been developed, this is a realistic schedule.
The Binnenhof is the oldest government center in the world that is still in use and has been the heart of Dutch democracy for 800 years.
“The renovation is a hugely complicated operation.” says Minister Mona Keijzer of Housing and Spatial Planning, responsible for the National Real Estate Agency that is carrying out the renovation. “There are thousands of rooms, attics and cellars within an area of more than 90,000 m². We knew that by this time we would have more certainty about the planning. It is now clear what needs to be built and how. In the coming years, more than 1,000 professionals will ensure that we complete the renovation as quickly as possible.”
Planning
The work on the Binnenhof became much larger than initially thought and the condition of the buildings turned out to be much worse. The complexity of construction, the limited space for construction logistics and the availability of specialist personnel make it difficult to accelerate work. To speed up the work, an additional work area has been set up on the Hofvijver. Work on roofs and facades has also been brought forward and partly already completed.
Four different contractors work together to renovate a complex consisting of 20 different monuments and 65 buildings, with only three construction sites that are difficult to reach and too small. The Binnenhof consists of more than 4,000 rooms, cellars, halls and corridors, all of which are different. Most are monumental. These are renovated by specialists who are difficult to find. For example, a large proportion of all slaters in the Netherlands work at the Binnenhof.
Total renovation costs
Due to the longer lead time and rising prices for materials and wages, the total costs of the renovation increase. The renovation is very labor intensive. About 70% of the total costs are determined by labor costs. Last year, labor costs in the construction sector increased by more than 10%. This therefore has immediate major consequences for the budget. Based on current information, the forecasts amount to at least €2.7 billion, price level on January 1, 2026. In 2024, the budget for the renovation has been set at approximately €2 billion.
Avoid additional costs for Grave Halls
The Burial Halls, including the Knights’ Hall, are in poor condition. For example, there is moisture and leakage in several places, there are carpenter ants in load-bearing beams and there are major concerns about fire safety. Without measures, the oldest part of the Binnenhof will continue to deteriorate, resulting in more work and costs. The Central Government Real Estate Agency is therefore starting to prepare the permit process for the renovation. This is separate from possible decision-making about renovating the Grave Halls. This takes place during the regular decision-making moment, the first of which is the Spring Memorandum 2026.
In 2020, the renovation of the Grave Halls was removed from the project for financial reasons. If the cabinet decides to add the Grave Halls to the project, it will save time and money if the permit process is already underway. This way, the renovation could still be carried out within the planning for the renovation of the Binnenhof. If the renovation of the Grave Halls lasts until after summer 2031 or starts later, this would lead to additional costs and inconvenience.