The Gevangenpoort ( Prisoner's Gate ) is a former gate and medieval prison on the Buitenhof in The Hague , Netherlands . It is situated next to the 18th-century art gallery founded by William V, Prince of Orange in 1774 known as the Prince William V Gallery .
15-408: From 1420 until 1828, the prison was used for housing people who had committed serious crimes while they awaited sentencing. Its most famous prisoner was Cornelis de Witt , who was held on the charge of plotting the murder of the stadtholder . He was lynched together with his brother Johan on 20 August 1672 on the square in front of the building called groene zoodje after the grass mat used for
30-731: Is considered a strategist in their collaboration and Cornelis as a creative person. Cornelis de Witt was mayor of Dordrecht in 1666 and 1667, and several times deputy of his city in the States of Holland . Between 1663–65 and 1669–71 De Witt was Committed Council of the Zuiderkwartier. In 1667 he was appointed curator of the Leiden University by the States of Holland. In 1665 the States General appointed him deputy in
45-680: The First Stadtholderless Period , De Witt was an influential member of the Dutch States Party , and was in opposition to the House of Orange . In the Rampjaar of 1672 he was lynched together with his brother Johan de Witt by a crowd incited by Orangist partisans. Cornelis de Witt was a member of the old Dutch patrician family De Witt . His father was Jacob de Witt , an influential regent and burgher from
60-581: The battle of Solebay against an Anglo-French fleet. Compelled by illness to leave the Dutch States Navy , he found on his return to Dordrecht that the Orangists were in the ascendant, and he and his brother were the objects of popular suspicion and hatred. Cornelis de Witt married Maria van Berckel (1632–1706) in 1650. The couple had five children: He was arrested on false accusations of treason, but did not confess despite heavy torture and
75-425: The patrician class in the city of Dordrecht , which in the 17th century was one of the most important cities of the dominating province of Holland. De Witt's mother was Anna van den Corput (1599–1645), niece of Johannes Corputius , an influential Dutch military leader and cartographer. His younger brother Johan de Witt was Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1653 to 1672. His uncle Andries de Witt previously held
90-401: The province of South Holland . Voorne-Putten consists of the two former islands Voorne (the larger, western part) and Putten (the smaller, eastern part). It used to be separated by the river Bernisse which silted up, uniting the two islands. It has 160,000 inhabitants (2008). Recently the riverbed has been dredged, and the two islands have been reformed. The North Sea coast of Voorne is
105-573: The scaffold . When public executions went out of fashion the area was used to build the "Witte Society", a literature club that still exists today, but had to move when the street was built in 1923. In 1882, the Gevangenpoort became a prison museum. The "gate" function was lost in 1923 when the houses adjoining the Hofvijver were taken down to build the street that now allows busy traffic, including trams. Since 2010, museum visitors can view
120-562: The field in the war with the Bishop of Munster . He acted in the same capacity in 1668, when troops were being gathered for the war between Spain and France. In 1667 De Witt was the deputy chosen by the States of Holland to accompany Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter in the raid on the Medway . De Witt distinguished himself during the engagement greatly by his coolness and intrepidity. He again accompanied De Ruyter in 1672 and took part in
135-545: The position of Grand Pensionary between 1619 and 1621. Through the marriage of one of his other uncles to Margaretha of Nassau, daughter of Anna Johanna of Nassau-Siegen , De Witt was a distant relative of William of Orange-Nassau . Another relationship led him to the Tromps, Maarten and his son Cornelis Tromp , both admirals of the Netherlands. In 1648 Cornelis de Witt became a schepen (councillor) of Dordrecht. He
150-453: The restored art gallery that can be reached through a special staircase that connects the two buildings. The collection which hangs here is a modern reconstruction of the original 1774 art cabinet that was situated upstairs above the fencing school. The paintings are again upstairs, hanging crowded together on the walls in the style of the late 18th century. In 1822 the collection (then called Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen te 's-Gravenhage )
165-561: Was afterwards appointed to the important post of ruwaard [ nl ] , who combined the functions of chief of police and prosecuting attorney, of Putten and bailiff of Beierland [ nl ] . De Witt associated himself closely with his younger brother, the Raadpensionaris of Holland (" Grand Pensionary ") Johan de Witt , and supported him throughout his career with great ability and vigour. Johan relied on his older brother for many matters of state. Johan
SECTION 10
#1732766000480180-467: Was made in the early 20th century to fill in a part of the Hofvijver and build a new road. The old gate function can be still seen in paintings and early photographs. 52°26′46″N 4°11′01″E / 52.446°N 4.1837°E / 52.446; 4.1837 Cornelis de Witt Cornelis de Witt (15 June 1623 – 20 August 1672) was a Dutch States Navy officer and statesman. During
195-463: Was moved to the Mauritshuis which remains the formal owner of the paintings on display. During restoration activities, highlights of the permanent Mauritshuis collection have been temporarily displayed in the gallery. The gate was a border between the "binnenhof" (inner court) and "buitenhof" (outer court). The gate proved much too small in later times to let traffic pass safely, and the decision
210-675: Was painted by Jan de Baen, the same painter who had twice painted his portrait, in The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers . Voorne-Putten 51°52′N 4°10′E / 51.867°N 4.167°E / 51.867; 4.167 Voorne-Putten ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˌvoːrnə ˈpʏtə(n)] ) is an island between the North Sea , the Brielse Meer and the rivers Oude Maas , Spui and Haringvliet in
225-486: Was ultimately unlawfully condemned to be banished. He was assassinated by the same carefully organised lynch mob that killed his brother on the day he was to be released, victim of a conspiracy by the Orangists Johan Kievit and Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp . Both their bodies were mutilated and their remains were cannibalized . Their hearts were carved out to be exhibited as trophies. The scene
#479520