The Peace Palace was built in six years (1907-1913). The building process was captured in high-quality images by photographer C.J. de Gilde. De Gilde compiled his photos in an album, and the majority of the glass negatives have been preserved in the Peace Palace.

The images show the process from preparing the land for construction, laying the foundations, to building the tower and landscaping. After the foundation stone was laid, it would not be until the summer of 1908 until foundation work could begin. In 1911, construction started on the highest point of the Peace Palace, the 80-metre-high tower. The photos also show that state-of-the-art technology was used during the construction of the Peace Palace, building materials were delivered, for example, by electric freight lifts and a rail-mounted lorry. The iron roof construction was ingenious for its time.

View a selection of C.J. de Gilde’s collection of construction photos below.

Please click on the pictures in the gallery to enlarge them.