Books on battles with Napoleon found in 99-year-old time capsule in Hague

By Alimat Aliyeva

On Monday, a 99-year-old time capsule hidden under a statue of King William II was discovered during the renovation of the Dutch parliament building, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

The capsule contained historical documents and books about the Dutch battles with Napoleon, including a three-volume French-language book about the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The author of the work is the Dutch General Francois de Bas, a popular military historian of the early twentieth century. The discovery of the time capsule stunned historians who had not previously known about its existence.

Mayor Jan van Zanen solemnly opened the capsule in the presence of the press to show its contents, including letters, documents and books. In 1815, Willem II commanded the Dutch troops as Crown Prince and the following year arrived in St. Petersburg for the wedding with Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, sister of the Russian Emperor Alexander I.