The World Peace Flame is a small monument on Carnegieplein in The Hague, right beside the gates of the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice. A flame burns day and night on top of a dark stone column. Around it lies a ring of stones, each one donated by a different country, so you can walk a circle around the world in a few dozen steps.
The World Peace Flame at a glance
- Where: Carnegieplein, next to the gates of the Peace Palace, on the edge of The Hague's city centre.
- Unveiled: 18 April 2002; the ring of stones, known as the World Peace Pathway, was added in 2004.
- By: designed by the Dutch graphic designer Heleen van der Sanden-de Groot, on the initiative of the Life Foundation (now the World Peace Flame Foundation).
- What it is today: a public peace monument with an eternal flame, free to visit at any time.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes, or longer if you want to look for particular countries' stones.
From Wales to the Peace Palace
The flame's story starts in 1999, when the Life Foundation, a peace organisation founded by Mansukh Patel and Savitri MacCuish, invited people on five continents to light seven flames for peace. Among those who lit them were Nelson Mandela in Africa and Princess Irene of the Netherlands in Europe. The seven flames were flown to Wales and joined into a single World Peace Flame, which has burned without interruption since.
A flame taken from the Welsh one was later carried to The Hague, and on 18 April 2002 the monument on Carnegieplein was unveiled in the presence of Princess Irene and the city's mayor, Wim Deetman. The organisers described it as the first permanent World Peace Flame monument anywhere. Two years later, representatives of nearly every member state of the United Nations each brought a stone from their own country, and these were set in a circle around the column.
What to look for
- The flame itself: it burns in an open bowl on top of a black natural-stone column, about 1.6 metres high, and is easiest to see at dusk.
- The World Peace Pathway: close to 200 stones laid in a ring, each with the name of the country that sent it. Try finding your own.
- A piece of the Berlin Wall: one of the best-known pieces in the circle is a fragment of rubble from the Wall.
- A rock from Robben Island: the island off Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for most of his 27 years in jail.
- The Peace Palace behind: the red-brick and stone palace with its clock tower, seen through the gates right next to the flame.
Why it stands here
The location is no accident. The Peace Palace was built with money from the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, whose name the square carries, and opened in 1913 to house the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Since 1946 it has also been the seat of the International Court of Justice, the main court of the United Nations. That makes The Hague the city of international law, and the flame is a citizens' addition to the official buildings: anyone can stand next to it, and nobody needs a ticket.
Tips for your visit
- Come at dusk or after dark, when the flame stands out against the stone and the Peace Palace is lit.
- Walk the full circle slowly: the stones vary from polished slabs to rough rocks, and many have small symbols carved in.
- The Peace Palace itself is a working court, so the grounds are closed to casual visitors; the visitor centre next to the gates explains its history and work.
Nearby
- Peace Palace: the seat of the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, right behind the flame.
- Panorama Mesdag: a huge 19th-century circular painting of Scheveningen's beach and dunes, a short walk away on Zeestraat.
- Escher in Het Paleis: the former winter palace of Queen Emma on Lange Voorhout, now a museum about the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher.
See The Hague with World City Trail
Our The Hague scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 36 minutes of walking. It includes Het Plein, the Mauritshuis and Escher in Het Paleis.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in The Hague.
Play The Hague scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of The Hague →
Play the outdoor escape game in The Hague →
Facts checked in October 2026.