Delft
代尔夫特 · Delft, Netherlands
A canal-ringed old town with the Nieuwe Kerk, Oude Kerk, City Hall and Market Square; it is the burial place of the House of Orange, Vermeer's home town and the home of blue-and-white Delftware.
Know before you go
- At the pottery factory, do not touch unglazed pieces or works whose glaze is still wet
- do not be noisy around the royal burial vault
- do not cycle on footpaths
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
The Delft Explosion of 1654
On 12 October 1654 the city's gunpowder store exploded, destroying a large part of the centre and killing Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt's most promising pupil, whose works were almost all lost. A new gunpowder store was later built outside the city, "a cannonball's distance away", and the area nearest the blast eventually became the city's horse market.
Source: Wikipedia: Delft
History
"Skewed John"
The Oude Kerk was founded in 1246 as St Bartholomew's Church. Its 75-metre brick tower leans about two metres from the vertical, and locals call it "Old John" or "Skewed John". Vermeer, who died in 1675, is entombed in this church.
Source: Wikipedia: Oude Kerk, Delft
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Delft lies in South Holland, between Rotterdam and The Hague. The Nieuwe Kerk and City Hall face each other across Market Square, and typical Dutch gabled houses line the canals; the Oostpoort (Eastern Gate), built around 1400, is the only surviving gate of the old city walls. On 15 April 1246 Count William II of Holland granted Delft its city charter. William of Orange took up residence in 1572 in the Prinsenhof, a former convent, and was assassinated there on 10 July 1584; he was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk, starting a tradition for the House of Orange that continues to this day. In 1602 the Dutch East India Company opened an office here, and blue-and-white Delftware made the city famous. The painter Vermeer lived and worked here and is buried in the Oude Kerk.
Local customs
- Stroll around Market Square and climb the Nieuwe Kerk tower
- watch Delft Blue being hand-painted at Royal Delft
- learn about the painter's life at the Vermeer Centre
- walk along the canals and see the visibly leaning tower of the Oude Kerk.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- At the pottery factory, do not touch unglazed pieces or works whose glaze is still wet
- do not be noisy around the royal burial vault
- do not cycle on footpaths
Locals appreciate DO
- Keep quiet inside churches and museums
- follow directions when services are taking place in the churches
- follow the tour route at the pottery factory
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- Admission and opening hours for the Nieuwe Kerk tower and the museums are as officially announced
- Delftware comes in many price ranges, so go by the marked prices and tell hand-painted pieces from printed ones. You can visit all year
- the canals and markets are liveliest in spring and summer, and winter days are short, so start early.
- Delft station is within walking distance of the old centre, and trains from The Hague and Rotterdam are convenient, with timetables as officially announced. The old town is compact and best explored on foot.
Photos
Photos
More in Europe
Also nearby
Zaanse Schans
Turning windmills three centuries old: an open-air museum of the Dutch Golden Age
Keukenhof
A spring of 7 million bulbs: the 'Garden of Europe' in its once-a-year bloom
Kinderdijk Windmills
Nineteen windmills built around 1740 form the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands and have been a World Heritage Site sinc…