Delft

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[Delft] is a city in South Holland (Zuid-Holland), the Netherlands, located halfway between Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag). Delft is also a municipality. It has 94,098 inhabitants (2005). It is twinned with Kingston upon Thames.

See also Delftware.

History

The city dates from the 12th 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 1572. 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 buildings, and many streets have canals in the centre, inhabited by fish and plants. Historical buildings include:

• Oude Kerk (Old Church). Piet Pieterszoon Hein and Anthony van Leeuwenhoek are buried here.
• 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 since 1645.

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 and Nicolaes 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 the most important engineering school of the Netherlands. It was founded as an academy for civil engineering in 1842 by King William II. Today about 13,400 students are enlisted at TU Delft. This is about 14% of the population of Delft.

Also the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education which provides postgraduate water education for people from developing countries is based here. It draws on the strong tradition in water management and hydraulic engineering of the university.

Recreation

In the East of Delft is the Delftse Hout (meaning "Delft Forest") recreation area with a lake called Grote Plas, in which people can swim. A part of the lake shore consists of a narrow beach (lanes of sand and grass). The northeastern side of the beach is a nudist area. It is not separated from the clothed areas as in other places: the walking path around the lake, for general use, passes through it. In Delftse Hout there is also a dinner restaurant named "de Schaapskooi", private gardens, a campground, a boyscout home called "The Helix" and other recreational clubs for various sports and interests. Noise from nearby highway A13/E19 (Rotterdam - The Hague) can be heard especially when there are winds from the west and at night. Delftse Hout can be reached from Delft main station by foot in around 30 minutes (or 10 minutes by bike). The way between the city centre and Delftse Hout is well marked.

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
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), scientist and inventor of the microscope
• Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), painter

External links

• [Municipal Website of Delft] (in Dutch and English)
• [City Information for Inhabitants](in Dutch)
• [Delft Tourist Website] (in English)
• [Nieuwe Kerk Website] (in English)
• [Map of Delft]
• [Public Transport Map of Delft]
• [Panorama of Delft]
• [Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)]
• [WL | Delft Hydraulics Research Institute]
• [UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education]
• [A website shows the latest news from Delft]
• [webcam from Delft]
• [Images from Delft]

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