The skyline of The Hague seen from the intersection Koningskade (S 100) and Zuid-Hollandlaan (S 101).
On the far left you can see the high-rise Hoftoren. Due to its shape, it is also nicknamed “de Vulpen”, which means “the filler” in English. With a height of 142 meters, the building is currently the third tallest building in The Hague (as of 2023). Originally, the skyscraper was supposed to be 270 meters high – but an additional mast, which would have reached this height, was not realized. It was designed by the US architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox and completed in 2003. Currently, it houses the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
The red skyscraper to the right of the courtyard gates houses the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security (Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid). With a height of 147 meters, it is, together with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties) placed behind it on the right, number 1 in the list of the tallest buildings in The Hague. It is no coincidence that the two skyscrapers are reminiscent of Potsdamer Platz in Berlin – the towers were both designed by the Kollhoff architectural firm, as was the Kollhoff Tower in Berlin.
In front of the group of buildings is the Castalia skyscraper, which actually consists of two buildings and with its distinctive brick double spire is reminiscent of traditional Dutch architecture. At just under 104 meters, the building is currently the eighth tallest in The Hague.