13 September: open house to mark 200th anniversary of Budget Day
Saturday 13 September 2014 is National Heritage Day in the Netherlands. This year it coincides with the 200th anniversary of Budget Day. The Court of Audit will be opening its doors at Lange Voorhout 8 in The Hague. You are welcome to visit the building between 10 am and 4 pm. There will be guided tours but you will also be free to wander around our offices.
The centre of The Hague will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Budget Day on 13 September. Activities are being organised at various places in the city. One activity will be the Princes´ Hat Walk in front of the Escher museum in the Palace. On Budget Day itself, 16 September this year, the King will read out the Speech from the Throne and present the national budget. Institutions that are closely involved with the budget will be open to the public on 13 September. The Court of Audit at Lange Voorhout 8 will explain the work it performs as a High Council of State and its involvement in the national budget. You will gain an impression of our work in the past, the present and the future. There will be a Budget Day Quiz to test your knowledge of our activities. You can also take a look at our historical and modern offices. A treasure hunt will be held for children under 12.
Cooperation with the National Archives
To mark the 200th anniversary of Budget Day, the National Archives of the Netherlands and a number of institutions have set out a ‘Speech from the Throne Route’ through The Hague. The following documents from Queen Wilhelmina’s reign will be on display in our offices:
- Queen Wilhelmina’s first Speech from the Throne from 1898;
- the programme for the opening of the States General of 20 September 1898;
- our annual report for 1926, presenting the cash deficits at the Netherlands Passport Office;
- the Government Accounts Act of 21 July 1927 signed by Queen Wilhelmina.
The Government Accounts Act lays down the powers of the Court of Audit. The Hague has linked National Heritage Day 2014 to the celebrations being held for the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Like our Kingdom, the Court of Audit is also 200 years old this year.