Book Donation: Application of Foreign Law

During the Private Law Course of The Hague Academy, mr. Can Yöney, a Turkish researcher and teaching assistant at Marmara University, donated his book the ‘Application of Foreign Law’ (Yabancı Hukukun Uygulanması) to the Peace Palace Library.

Library User in the Spotlight: Taras Leshkovych

My name is Taras Leshkovych and I am from Western Ukraine, from the beautiful city of Lviv. I have dreamt about getting to the Peace Palace for nearly 10 years, since my graduate studies in Ukraine. And not merely as a visitor but in some form of professional capacity. I even have had a picture of the Palace on my work desk since that time as an inspiration and a constant reminder of my professional goals.

Final Words: Interview with Librarian Niels van Tol

After 16 years, it is time to leave the Peace Palace Library. My colleague Candice Alihusain asked me for an interview but unfortunately, due to lots of work, this did not happen. My current work for Erasmus University Library, extremely interesting and educational as it is, also left me unable to write down something. But one has to do what one has to do and I hereby provide you with a small interview.

Ode to the Library by Giampaolo Guizardi Righetti

The Library is an incredible place. Every time I come I feel energised. The beauty of its gardens is simply breathtaking -nothing heals a confused soul like a flourished garden- but it is not only the place itself nor the fantastic collection of every possible book or article or judgment ever written in International and Comparative Law that makes it so unique. It might in itself suffice to make it so, but the PPL is much more than that.

Letter to Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie died on August 11, 1919. Now, 100 years after his death, the leadership of the Carnegie institutions who honor and carry on his legacy, and Mr. Carnegie’s great-grandson, William Thomson, have written letters to Andrew Carnegie recording their collective achievements, future aspirations, and even some failures, in a singular publication, Letters to Andrew Carnegie. The Letter to Andrew Carnegie by Erik de Baedts, Director of the Carnegie Foundation | Peace Palace contains a fragment on the Peace Palace Library.

Summer Reads: Share Your Top Picks

Ah, the summer! It’s time to relax a little. Yes, that’s even possible for international lawyers working in the field of Peace and Justice. For a lot of people, that might mean actually kicking back and reading a book. What’s at the top of your reading list this summer?

Please, tell us your favorite. If not on the list, send us your suggestions!

Treaty of Versailles Centennial

Today, 28 june 2019, is the Centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Signed on 28 June 1919 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles Palace, the Treaty was the most important of the peace treaties that brought an end to World War I. To mark this anniversary, the Peace Palace Library has put together a collection of books exploring the background and aftermath of the Versailles Treaty. This collection will be published on the website and social media.

Treaty of Versailles Centennial: Mandates

The mandate system was created in the aftermath of World War I to resolve the question of jurisdiction over the colonial territories detached from Germany and the Ottoman Empire. Article 119 of the Versailles required Germany to renounce sovereignty over former colonies and Article 22 converted the territories into League of Nations mandates under the control of Allied states. Togoland and German Kamerun (Cameroon) were transferred to France. Ruanda and Urundi were allocated to Belgium, whereas German South-West Africa went to South Africa and the United Kingdom obtained German East Africa.

Treaty of Versailles Centennial: Territorial Changes

The Versailles Treaty stripped Germany of 65,000 km2 of territory and circa 7 million people. It also required Germany to give up the gains made in the East. In Western Europe Germany was required to recognize Belgian sovereignty over Moresnet and cede control of the Eupen-Malmedy area. To compensate for the destruction of French coal mines, Germany was to cede the output of the Saar coalmines to France and control of the Saar to the League of Nations for 15 years; a plebiscite would then be held to decide sovereignty. The treaty “restored” the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to France. The sovereignty of Schleswig-Holstein was to be resolved by a plebiscite to be held at a future time.

Treaty of Versailles Centennial: Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Wilson’s Fourteen Points had helped win the hearts and minds of many as the war ended; these included Americans and Europeans generally, as well as Germany, its allies and the former subjects of the Ottoman Empire specifically. Wilson felt it was his duty and obligation to the people of the world to be a prominent figure at the peace negotiations. High hopes and expectations were placed on him to deliver what he had promised for the post-war era. In doing so, Wilson ultimately began to lead the foreign policy of the United States toward interventionism, a move strongly resisted in some domestic circles.