History

The city dates from the 13th century. It received its charter in 1246.

The association of the House of Orange with Delft began when William of Orange (Willem van Oranje), nicknamed William the Silent (Willem de Zwijger), took up residence there in 1562. William was the leader at the time in the struggle against the Spanish, the Eighty Years' War.

Delft was one of the leading cities of Holland and was equipped with the necessary city walls to serve as a headquarters. When William was shot to death in 1584 by Balthazar Gerards in the hall of the Prinsenhof, the family's traditional burial place in Breda was in the hands of the Spanish. He was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), starting a tradition for the House of Orange that has continued to the present day.

In 1654, the city was badly damaged and over 100 people killed in the Delft Explosion.

Sights

The city centre retains many old and historical buildings, and many streets have canals in the centre, inhabited by fish and plants. Historical buildings include:

• Oude Kerk (Old Church). Buried here: Piet Hein, Johannes Vermeer, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek.
• Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), constructed between 1381 and 1496. It contains the Dutch royal family's burial vault, which between funerals is sealed with a 5000 kg cover stone.
• The Prinsenhof (Princes' Court), now a museum.
• City Hall.
• The Oostpoort (Eastern gate), built around 1400. This is the only remaining gate of the old city walls.
• The Gemeenlandshuis or Huyterhuis, built in 1505, which houses the regional water authority Delfland since1645.

Culture

Delft is well known for the Delft pottery ceramic products which were styled on the imported Chinese porcelain of the 17th century. The city had an early start in this area since it was a home port of the Dutch East India Company.

The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) was born in Delft. Vermeer used Delft streets and home interiors as the subject or background of his paintings.

Several other famous painters lived and worked in Delft at that time, such as Pieter de Hoogh, Carel Fabritius andNicolaes Maes. They all were members of the Delft School. The Delft School is known for its images of domestic life, views of households, church interiors, courtyards, squares and the streets of Delft. The painters also produced pictures showing historic events, flower paintings, portraits for patrons and the court, and decorative pieces of art.

Education

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is one of three universities of technology in the Netherlands. It was founded as an academy for civil engineering in 1842 by King William II. Today well over 16,000 students are enrolled.

The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, providing postgraduate education for people from developing countries, draws on the strong tradition in water management and hydraulic engineering of the Delft university.

Recreation

East of Delft is the Delftse Hout ("Delft Forest") recreation area, with a lake (suitable for swimming and windsurfing), narrow beaches, a small nudist area (not fenced off), restaurant, community gardens, campground and other recreational and sports facilities. Noise from the nearby A13/E19 highway can be heard throughout the area.

Famous people

Delft was the birthplace of several famous people:

• Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), the lawyer who laid the foundations for international law
• Martin van den Hove (1605-1639), astronomer and mathematician
• Stien Kaiser (born 1938), ice speed skater
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), Father of Microbiology and developer of the microscope
• Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), painter

External links

• Municipal Website of Delft
• Delft Tourist Website
• Nieuwe Kerk Website
• Map of Delft
• Panorama of Delft
• Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
• Pictures of Delft
• Images from Delft and Netherlands
• Delft Guide