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See also: Delft, Cape Town, Delft Island

Delft ( ) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland

(Zuid-Holland), the Netherlands

. It is located in between Rotterdam

and The Hague

.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.

History

Delft in 1652 (Blaeu)

The city dates from the 13th century. It received its charter in 1246.
For its development from a rural village in the early Middle Ages to a city in the 13th century see the article "Gracht", section "Delft as an example".

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 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. Therefore, he was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk

(New Church), starting a tradition for the House of Orange that has continued to the present day.

Delft Explosion

Egbert van der Poel
A View of Delft after the Explosion of 1654

The Delft Explosion, also known in history as the Delft Thunderclap, occurred on 12 October 1654 when a gunpowder store exploded, destroying much of the city. Over a hundred people were killed and thousands wounded.

About 30 tonnes of gunpowder were stored in barrels in a magazine in a former Clarissen convent in the Doelenkwartier district. Cornelis Soetens, the keeper of the magazine, opened the store to check a sample of the powder and a huge explosion followed. Luckily, many citizens were away, visiting a market in Schiedam

or a fair in The Hague

. Artist Carel Fabritius was wounded in the explosion and died of his injuries. Afterward, Egbert van der Poel painted several pictures of Delft showing the devastation.

Sights

Typical view of Delft (Vrouw Juttenland)

Crest to the City Hall

Delft canal (Molslaan).

The city center retains many old and historical buildings, and many streets have canals in the center, inhabited by fish and plants making this beautiful small city a tourist destination.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 since 1645.
Waag

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, Nicolaes Maes, Gerard Houckgeest and Hendrick Cornelisz. van Vliet. 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 Wood") 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.