Bertha Felicitas Sophie von Suttner (Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau; 9 June 1843 – 21 June 1914) was a true European pacifist and novelist. Through her writings, lectures and lobbying she became the leader of the international peace movement in the decades before World War I. In 1905 she was the first woman to be solely awarded the Peace Nobel Prize. A friend of Alfred Nobel, she inspired him to create a prize for peace, next to the other prizes he had established too. She inspired hundreds of thousands of contemporaries to become mindful about world peace, and many joined the peace movement in their countries.
The BvSPI has been established in the belief that her ideas- not least the needs for disarmament and peaceful resolution of conflict (also by arbitration) – remain today as relevant as ever, and that her courageous and unceasing efforts to promote a culture of peace can still inspire many people today. The BvS Peace-Institute is particularly focused on peace education for women and youth in The Hague, and the places BvS was active.
The Bertha von Suttner Peace-Institute aims to become a documentation center of the legacy of BvS, and of writings and books both by and about BvS.