Why is The Hague sometimes called s-Gravenhage?
A letter first mentions a ‘village van der Haghe’ in 1370. Before Count William II had a complex of buildings built on the spot where the Binnenhof is now, there was a hunting lodge. Near this settlement a village developed. This was called Die Haghe or ‘s-Graven Hage. The settlement was located, as it were, within the ‘hedge’ which formed a fence around the grounds of the Count. The city council of The Hague uses the name ‘s-Gravenhage exclusively, which does not mean that this is the preferred name. After all, there is no record anywhere of what the official name is. The names ‘s-Gravenhage and The Hague are equal and are both used.
