Delft

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title: "Delft" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["delft", "cities-in-the-netherlands", "municipalities-of-south-holland", "populated-places-in-south-holland", "industrial-fires-and-explosions", "states-and-territories-established-in-1246"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delft" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameDelft
settlement_typeCity and municipality
image_skylineDelft Blick von der Nieuwe Kerk auf die Oude Kerk 1.jpg
image_captionA view of Delft with the Oude Kerk in the centre
image_flagFlag of Delft.svg
flag_size100x67px
image_size280px
image_shieldCoat of arms of Delft.svg
shield_size100x80px
nicknamePrinsenstad (Prince City)
image_mapMap - NL - Municipality code 0503 (2009).svg
map_altHighlighted position of Delft in a municipal map of South Holland
map_captionLocation in South Holland
pushpin_mapNetherlands#Europe
pushpin_map_captionLocation within the Netherlands##Location within Europe
pushpin_relief1
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameNetherlands
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1South Holland
seat_typeCity Hall
seatCity Hall
government_footnotes
governing_bodyMunicipal council
leader_partyD66
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameAlexander Pechtold
unit_prefMetric
area_footnotes
area_total_km2
area_land_km2
area_water_km2
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m0
population_footnotes
population_total
population_as_of
population_density_km2
population_demonyms
timezone1CET
utc_offset1+1
timezone1_DSTCEST
utc_offset1_DST+2
postal_code_typePostcodes
postal_code2600–2629
area_code_typeArea code
area_code015
website
::

| name = Delft | settlement_type = City and municipality | image_skyline = Delft Blick von der Nieuwe Kerk auf die Oude Kerk 1.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = A view of Delft with the Oude Kerk in the centre | image_flag = Flag of Delft.svg | flag_size = 100x67px | image_size = 280px | image_shield = Coat of arms of Delft.svg | shield_size = 100x80px | shield_alt = | nickname = Prinsenstad (Prince City) | image_map = Map - NL - Municipality code 0503 (2009).svg | map_alt = Highlighted position of Delft in a municipal map of South Holland | map_caption = Location in South Holland | pushpin_map = Netherlands#Europe | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the Netherlands##Location within Europe | pushpin_relief = 1 | coordinates = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Netherlands | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = South Holland | seat_type = City Hall | seat = City Hall | government_footnotes = | governing_body = Municipal council | leader_party = D66 | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Alexander Pechtold | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 0 | elevation_max_footnotes = | elevation_max_m = | elevation_min_footnotes = | elevation_min_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of =
| population_density_km2 = | population_demonyms = | timezone1 = CET | utc_offset1 = +1 | timezone1_DST = CEST | utc_offset1_DST = +2 | postal_code_type = Postcodes | postal_code = 2600–2629 | area_code_type = Area code | area_code = 015 | website = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Gem-Delft-OpenTopo1654Explosion.png" caption="A 2018 map of the Delft municipality with the [[epicenter]] of the 1654 explosion superimposed on the Paardenmarkt, the site's present occupant."] ::

Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is a part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area and the Randstad.

Delft is a popular tourist destination in the Netherlands, famous for its historical connections with the reigning House of Orange-Nassau, for its blue pottery, for being home to the painter Jan Vermeer, and for hosting Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Historically, Delft played a highly influential role in the Dutch Golden Age. In terms of science and technology, thanks to the pioneering contributions of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Martinus Beijerinck, Delft can be considered to be the birthplace of microbiology.

History

Early history

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Cornelis_Springer,_The_Gemeenlandshuis_and_the_Old_Church,_Delft,Summer(1877).jpg" caption="The Gemeenlandshuis and the Old Church, Delft, Summer by [[Cornelis Springer]], 1877"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Antique_map_of_Delft,_Netherlands_by_Blaeu_J._1649.jpg" caption="A map of Delft in 1649, by [[Joan Blaeu"] ::

The city of Delft came into being beside a canal, the 'Delf', which comes from the word delven, meaning to delve or dig, and this led to the name Delft. At the elevated place where this 'Delf' crossed the creek wall of the silted up river Gantel, a Count established his manor, probably around 1075. Partly because of this, Delft became an important market town, the evidence for which can be seen in the size of its central market square.

Having been a rural village in the early Middle Ages, Delft developed into a city, and on 15 April 1246, Count Willem II granted Delft its city charter. Trade and industry flourished. In 1389 the Delfshavensche Schie canal was dug through to the river Maas, where the port of Delfshaven was built, connecting Delft to the sea.

Until the 17th century, Delft was one of the major cities of the then county (and later province) of Holland. In 1400, for example, the city had 6,500 inhabitants, making it the third largest city after Dordrecht (8,000) and Haarlem (7,000). By 1560, Amsterdam, with 28,000 inhabitants, had become the largest city, followed by Delft, Leiden and Haarlem, which each had around 14,000 inhabitants.

In 1536, a large part of the city was destroyed by the great fire of Delft.

The town's association with the House of Orange started when William of Orange (Willem van Oranje), nicknamed William the Silent (Willem de Zwijger), took up residence in 1572 in the former Saint-Agatha convent (subsequently called the Prinsenhof). At the time he was the leader of growing national Dutch resistance against Spanish occupation, known as the Eighty Years' War. By then Delft was one of the leading cities of Holland and was equipped with the necessary city walls to serve as a headquarters. In October 1573, an attack by Spanish forces was repelled in the Battle of Delft.

After the Act of Abjuration was proclaimed in 1581, Delft became the de facto capital of the newly independent Dutch Republic, as the seat of the Stadtholder, the Prince of Orange.

When William was shot dead on 10 July 1584 by Balthazar Gerards in the hall of the Prinsenhof (now the Prinsenhof Museum), the family's traditional burial place in Breda was still in the hands of the Spanish. Therefore, he was buried in the Delft Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), starting a tradition for the House of Orange that has continued to the present day.

Around this time, Delft also occupied a prominent position in the field of printing.

A number of Italian glazed earthenware makers settled in the city and introduced a new style. The tapestry industry also flourished when famous manufacturer François Spierincx moved to the city. In the 17th century, Delft experienced a new heyday, thanks to the presence of an office of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) (opened in 1602) and the manufacture of Delft Blue china.

The population in 1848 was estimated at 15,000 inhabitants.

A number of notable artists based themselves in the city, including Leonard Bramer, Carel Fabritius, Pieter de Hoogh, Gerard Houckgeest, Emanuel de Witte, Jan Steen, and Johannes Vermeer. Reinier de Graaf and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek received international attention for their scientific research.

Explosion

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Delftsedonderslag.jpg" caption="[[Egbert van der Poel]]: ''A View of Delft after the Explosion of 1654''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Kruithuis.jpg" caption="The "new" gunpowder store "Kruithuis", built in 1660 on the water of the [[Delftse Schie]] for public safety, today in use as a clubhouse"] ::

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. More than 100 were killed and thousands were injured.

About 30 t of gunpowder were stored in barrels in a magazine in a former Clarist convent in the Doelenkwartier district, where the Paardenmarkt is now located. Cornelis Soetens, the keeper of the magazine, opened the store to check a sample of the powder and a huge explosion followed. Fortunately, many citizens were away, visiting a market in Schiedam or a fair in The Hague.

Today, the explosion is primarily remembered for killing Rembrandt's most promising pupil, Carel Fabritius, and destroying nearly all his works.

Delft artist Egbert van der Poel painted several pictures of Delft showing the devastation.

The gunpowder store (Dutch: Kruithuis) was subsequently re-housed, a 'cannonball's distance away', outside the city, in a new building designed by architect Pieter Post.

Sights

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/View_of_Delft,_by_Johannes_Vermeer.jpg" caption="''[[View of Delft]]'' by [[Johannes Vermeer]], 1660–1661"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Pieter_Wouwerman_-_Gezicht_op_de_Paardenmarkt_te_Delft.jpg" caption="''View of the horse market in Delft'' by [[Pieter Wouwerman]], 1665"] ::

The city centre retains a large number of monumental buildings, while in many streets there are canals of which the banks are connected by typical bridges, altogether making this city a notable tourist destination.

Historical buildings and other sights of interest include:

File:Delft stadhuis.jpg|Delft City Hall File:Delft poorte.jpg|Eastern Gate (Oostpoort) File:Delft Oude Kerk 002.jpg|The Old Church tower File:Oude Langendijk Delft.jpg|Oude Langendijk

Culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Delft_plate_faience_Famille_Rose_1760_1780.jpg" caption="Delft blue is most famous but there are other kinds of Delftware, like this plate faience in rose"] ::

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. It can still be seen at the pottery factories De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles (or Royal Delft) and De Delftse Pauw, while new ceramics and ceramic art can be found at the Gallery Terra Delft.

The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was born in Delft. Vermeer used Delft streets and home interiors as the subject or background in 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 were all members of the Delft School. The Delft School is known for its images of domestic life and views of households, church interiors, courtyards, squares and the streets of Delft. The painters also produced pictures showing historic events, flowers, portraits for patrons and the court as well as decorative pieces of art.

Delft supports creative arts' companies. From 2001 the , a building that had been disused since 1951, began to house small companies in the creative arts sector. Its demolition started in December 2009, making way for the new railway tunnel in Delft. The occupants of the building, as well as the name 'Bacinol', moved to another building in the city. The name Bacinol relates to Dutch penicillin research during WWII.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/TU_Delft_buildings.jpg" caption="TU Delft buildings"] ::

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is one of four universities of technology in the Netherlands. It was founded as an academy for civil engineering in 1842 by King William II. As of 2022, well over 27,000 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.

The Hague University of Applied Sciences has a building on the Delft University of Technology campus. It opened in 2009 and offers several bachelor's degrees for the Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Society.

Inholland University of Applied Sciences also has a building on the Delft University of Technology campus. Several bachelor's degrees for the Agri, Food & Life Sciences faculty and the Engineering, Design and Computing faculty are being taught at the Delft campus.

Economy

Major elements in Delft's local economy are:

Nature and recreation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Delft_Plantagegeer.JPG" caption="The ''Plantagegeer'', one of Delft's several smaller city parks"] ::

East of Delft lies a relatively large nature and recreation area called the "Delftse Hout" ("Delft Wood"). Through the forest lie bike, horse-riding and footpaths. It also includes a vast lake (suitable for swimming and windsurfing), narrow beaches, a restaurant, and community gardens, plus camping ground and other recreational and sports facilities. (There is also a facility for renting bikes from the station.)

Inside the city, apart from a central park, there are several smaller town parks, including "Nieuwe Plantage", "Agnetapark", "Kalverbos". There is also the Botanical Garden of the TU and an arboretum in Delftse Hout.

Notable people

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Zelfportret_van_de_schilder_met_zijn_gezin_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-1460.jpg" caption="Self portrait of Jacob Willemsz Delff and his family, ca. 1590"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Cropped_version_of_Jan_Vermeer_van_Delft_002.jpg" caption="Jan Vermeer van Delft, 1656"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Michiel_Jansz_van_Mierevelt_-_Hugo_Grotius.jpg" caption="portrait of Hugo Grotius, 1631"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Frederik_Hendrik_by_Michiel_Jansz_van_Mierevelt.jpg" caption="Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, ca. 1635"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Anthonie_van_Leeuwenhoek_(1632-1723)._Natuurkundige_te_Delft_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-957.jpeg" caption="Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek, ca. 1680"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Martinus_Willem_Beijerinck.png" caption="Martinus Beijerinck, 1931"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Betsy_Perk.jpg" caption="Betsy Perk"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Stien_Kaiser_(1968).jpg" caption="Stien Kaiser, 1968"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Ria_Stalman_1982b.jpg" caption="Ria Stalman, 1982"] ::

Delft is the birthplace of:

Dutch Golden Age

Public thinking and service

Science and business

Art

Sport

Miscellaneous

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Nuna3atZandvoort1.JPG" caption="One of the 8 different Nuna cars"] ::

  • Nuna is a series of crewed solar-powered vehicles, built by students at the Delft University of Technology, that won the World solar challenge in Australia seven times in the last nine competitions (in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2017).
  • The so-called "Superbus" project aims to develop high-speed coaches capable of speeds of up to 250 km/h together with the supporting infrastructure including special highway lanes constructed separately next to the nation's highways; this project was led by Dutch astronaut professor Wubbo Ockels of the Delft University of Technology.
  • Members of both Delft Student Rowing Clubs Proteus-Eretes and Laga have won many international trophies, including Olympic medals.
  • The Formula Student Team Delft has won the Formula Student racing competition format in Germany three times in a row; their workplace is located along the shie.
  • The Human Power Team Delft & Amsterdam, consisting mainly of students from the Delft University of Technology, has won The World Human Powered Speed Challenge (WHPSC) four times, an international contest for recumbents in the US state of Nevada, the aim of which is to break speed records. They set the world record of 133.78 kilometres an hour (83.13 mph) in 2013.

International relations

Twin towns

Delft is twinned with: ::data[format=table] | | | | | | |---|---|---| ::

Transport

There are several bus routes from Delft to similar destinations. Trams frequently travel between Delft and The Hague and Leidschendam.

The whole city center and adjacent areas are a paid on-street parking area. In 2018, with the day parking fee of 29.5 Euro, it was the most expensive on-street parking area in the Netherlands, with the city centers of Deventer and Dordrecht being second and third, respectively.

Gallery

::data[format=table] | [[File:Delft - Visbrug.jpg|thumb|168px|Delft city view]] | [[File:Delft - building.jpg|thumb|168px|"Gemeenlandshuis"]] | [[File:Nieuwe-Kerk-vanuit-het-westen.JPG|168px|thumb|Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)]] | [[File:Legermuseum delft.jpg|thumb|168px|[[Legermuseum]] (Army museum)]] | |---|---|---|---| ::

::data[format=table] | [[File:Delft Central Market Square.jpg |275px|thumb|Central Market Square]] | [[File:Delft centre.JPG|thumb|148px|City sight ("Vrouw Juttenland")]] | [[File:Huybrechtstoren delft 2.JPG|thumb|163px|Huybrechtstower]] | [[File:Koornbeurs delft.jpg|thumb|88px|"Koornbeurs"]] | |---|---|---|---| ::

::data[format=table] | [[File:Delft observatory.jpg|177px|thumb|Observatory]] | [[File:Delft Station.jpg|thumb|172px|Former station building]] | [[File:20170720 Delft station 01.jpg|thumb|175px|New station building]] | [[File:Delftse Schie at sundown.JPG|thumb|162px|Main canal [[Schie|"Delftse Schie"]] at sundown]] | |---|---|---|---| ::

::data[format=table] | [[File:Delft, het Blauwe Hart van plexiglas en staal bij de Nieuwe Kerk foto7 niet-ontwikkelt 2016-03-13.jpg|Sculpture near the church|170px|thumb]] | [[File:Delft, straatzicht Oosteinde vanaf de Molslaan foto7 2016-03-13 10.54.jpg|Streetview (het Oosteinde)|205px|thumb]] | [[File:Delft, straatzicht Dertienhuizen-Verwersdijk foto4 2016-03-13 11.29.jpg|Streetview (Dertienhuizen)|170px|thumb]] | [[File:Delft, de Lutherse kerk in straatzicht RM11951 foto6 2016-03-13 11.55.jpg|[[Lutherse Kerk (Delft)|Lutherse Kerk]]|170px|thumb]] | |---|---|---|---| ::

Notes

References

References

  1. "Maak kennis met.". Gemeente Delft.
  2. {{Dutch municipality total area. dataref
  3. . ["Postcodetool for 2611GX"](http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool). *Het Waterschapshuis*.
  4. {{Dutch municipality population. dataref
  5. Huerta, Robert D.: ''Giants of Delft: Johannes Vermeer and the Natural Philosophers: The Parallel Search for Knowledge during the Age of Discovery''. (Pennsylvania: Bucknell University Press, 2003)
  6. [[Timothy Brook. Brook, Timothy]]: ''[[Vermeer's Hat. Vermeer's Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World]]''. (Bloomsbury Press, 2009, {{ISBN. 978-1596915992)
  7. [[Walter Liedtke. Liedtke, Walter]]; Plomp, Michiel C.; [[Axel Rüger. Rüger, Axel]]; Baarsen, Reinier J.: ''Vermeer and the Delft School''. (NYC: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013, {{ISBN. 978-0300200294)
  8. [[Laura J. Snyder. Snyder, Laura J.]]: ''Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing''. (W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, {{ISBN. 978-0393352887)
  9. Ruestow, Edward G.: ''The Microscope in the Dutch Republic: The Shaping of Discovery''. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
  10. Fournier, Marian: ''The Fabric of Life: The Rise and Decline of Seventeenth-Century Microscopy''. (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, {{ISBN. 978-0801851384)
  11. Artenstein, Andrew W.: ''The discovery of viruses: advancing science and medicine by challenging dogma''. (''International Journal of Infectious Diseases'', Volume 16, Issue 7, July 2012, pages: e470-e473). {{doi. 10.1016/j.ijid.2012.03.005. Andrew W. Artenstein: "By 1895 Beijerinck had returned to academia after leaving the [[Wageningen University. Agricultural School]] for a 10-year stint in industrial microbiology in Delft, the South Holland birthplace of [[Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. van Leeuwenhoek]], one of the founding fathers of microbiology. During his first years at the [[Technical University of Delft]], Beijerinck resumed the research on [[tobacco mosaic disease]] that he had started while working with [[Adolf Mayer. Mayer]]. Even then, he had appreciated that the affliction was microbial in nature, although he felt that the actual agents had yet to be discovered. Beijerinck's investigations at Delft proved fruitful; he not only confirmed the infectivity of the [[contagium vivum fluidum]]—soluble living germ—despite filtration, but he importantly demonstrated that unlike bacteria, the culprit of tobacco disease of plants was incapable of independent growth, requiring the presence of living, dividing host cells in order to replicate."
  12. (1848). "The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge". Charles Knight.
  13. (14 October 2004). "The Day the World Came to an End: the Great Delft Thunderclap of 1654". Radio Netherlands.
  14. Cumming, Laura. (2023). "Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death". Scribner.
  15. "Historie: Het Kruithuis". Scoutcentrum Delft.
  16. Martin Dunford. (2010). "The Rough Guide to The Netherlands". Penguin.
  17. (1760). "Delft, Zuid-Holland". Molendatabase.
  18. "Royal Delft. Ontdek de wereld van koninklijk Delfts Blauw.".
  19. "Welcome to delfthuis.com".
  20. "Science Centre Delft".
  21. "Museumkids".
  22. Kitty Kilian, "[https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1996/05/23/10-jaar-galerie-terra-keramisch-gezicht-op-delft-7310973-a912879 10 jaar galerie Terra; Keramisch gezicht op Delft]." ''NRC Handelsblad,'' 23 May 1996.
  23. "Art on the streets of Delft".
  24. "4TU.Federation".
  25. "Studentenaantallen TU Delft stabiel".
  26. "Vestiging Delft - De Haagse Hogeschool".
  27. "Category:Delftse Hout".
  28. {{cite Catholic Encyclopedia
  29. {{cite EB1911
  30. "Ton Lutz".
  31. "Mariska Hulscher".
  32. "Depth of Field {{!}} Scherptediepte".
  33. "Wessel van Diepen".
  34. "Rob Das".
  35. "Jan-Willem van Ewijk".
  36. "Ricky Koole".
  37. "Marly van der Velden".
  38. "World Solar Challenge 2017".
  39. "HOME".
  40. "The Recumbent Bicycle and Human Powered Vehicle Information Center".
  41. (source: Delft municipality guide 2005)
  42. "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr District". © 2009 www.twins2010.com.
  43. "Category:Spoorzone-project".
  44. (April 2018). "Parkeer Puzzel". [[Royal Dutch Touring Club]].

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delftcities-in-the-netherlandsmunicipalities-of-south-hollandpopulated-places-in-south-hollandindustrial-fires-and-explosionsstates-and-territories-established-in-1246