45. Delft is a city and municipality in the province of Zuid Holland (South Holland) close to
Rotterdam and Den Haag (The Hague). Around 100,000 people live in Delft. The city
received its city rights in the 13th century.
The city is situated on the Schie, which flows into the Meuse at Delfshaven. The town
was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1536, and in 1654 it was seriously damaged by
the explosion of a powder-magazine; but it still possesses numerous interesting
buildings of the 16th century, especially at the Wynhaven and in the Koornmarkt and
Voorstraat.
Delft is primarily known for its typically Dutch town centre (with canals), also for the
painter Vermeer, Delft Blue pottery (Delftware), the Delft University of Technology, and
its association with the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau.
The hotel De Mol of the 15th century is one of the oldest buildings in Delft.
Stadhuis (City Hall)
This early 17th century building (1618) was built by Hendrick de Keyser (who made the
mausoleum of William the Silent). Very typical for the buildings of the early Dutch
Republic, the decoration features ferocious lions' heads. The City Hall incorporates the
stone tower of an earlier medieval version of the city hall destroyed by fire in 1618.
46. Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)
Originally built between 1383 and 1510. However, several disasters that took place in
the city of Delft (town fire in 1536 and the explosion of the gunpowder store in 1645 )
made restoration necessary. The present tower was only added in 1872 by P.J.H. Cuyper.
The most important feature of the church is the imposing mausoleum of William of
Orange (called The Silent). Hendrick de Keyser designed it in 1614. In the middle of the
monument stands the statue of William. In the crypt of the church are the tombs of
several other members of the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange-Nassau.
Oude Kerk (Old Church)
The church dates originally from the 13th century, but was often redesigned and
redecorated. The richly decorated bell tower dates from the 14th century. The Gothic
Northern transept was added in the 16th century by Antoon Keldermans, a famous
architect from the southern Netherlands (now Belgium). The choir stalls are remarkable.
Inside the church are numerous tomb stones, among which, the stones of the painter
Johannes Vermeer and Admiral Piet Heyn.
Meisjeshuis building, the old orphanage for girls, reopened in spring 2005 after
restoration. It is now being used for a variety of purposes, many of which ensure that a
large part of the building remains open to the general public.
47. The Easten Gates were built in the beginning of the 15th century and nowadays they
are the only city gates that left till our time. Their towers are not so old: they were
overbuilt in the 16th century. The Eastern Gates consist of the gates built both on
water and ground, which are connected with walls. Nowadays the gates are used as
domicile and showroom.
Delft University of Technology (Dutch: Technische Universiteit Delft, also known as TU
Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university. With eight faculties
and numerous research institutes it hosts over 16,000 students (undergraduate and
postgraduate), more than 2,600 scientists(including more than 200 professors), over
2,000 doctoral students, and more than 2,000 people in the support and management
staff.
The university was established on January 8, 1842 by King William II of the
Netherlands as a Royal Academy, with the main purpose of training civil servants for
the Dutch East Indies.
48. Prinsenhof (Prince's Court)
The Prinsenhof ("The Court of the Prince") is an urban palace built in the 15th century as a
monastery. Later it served as a residence for William of Orange, the Silent. It was here that
William of Orange (the Silent) was murdered in 1584 by Baltasar Geraerts, a fanatical
catholic. The murder was ordered by Philip II, the catholic king of Spain and the
Netherlands. The holes that were left in the walls by the bullets that killed William are still
visible. After the restoration the Prisenhof serves as the National Museum. The museum
contains an interesting collection of paintings of Delft, medieval sculptures, portraits of
prominent figures of the Dutch Revolt and, of course, delftware.
The Water Tower. The tower was built in 1895 in neo-renaissance style, after a design of
the city council architect M.A.C. Hartman. It contains a water reservoir of 600.000 litre
water. Since the 1st of February 2008 the Water tower of Delft is open to the public. The
beautiful monument is restyled into a water shop, meeting place and viewpoint.
49. Armamentarium (Army museum).
The massive brick building rising up from the water at the "Korte Geer" street is the
Armamentarium. It used to be the military arsenal of the provinces of Holland and
West Friesland. The function of the building is symbolically shown by the bearded
statue of the god Mars, the god of war. The arsenal was built in 1692. All the military
objects on display (guns, uniforms, weapons) tell the history of the Dutch army, from
the Middle-Ages until now.
Oost-Indisch Huis (East India House)
The letters VOC on this renovated house (1631) at the Oude Delft n 39 is a reminder
that Delft once was a seat of the Dutch East India Company.
The Mill de Roos was built in the 18th century and at those times it was situated on
the city rampart.
Images and text: Internet
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