| Delft | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms and flag   | ||
| State | Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | South Holland | |
| Altitude | 0 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 24.06 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 102.230 (2018) | |
| Prefix tel | 31 15 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 2600-2629 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Delft is a city of Netherlands, located in the province ofSouth Holland.
To know
Delft, whose name means "moat", is located south of thethe Hague and almost constitutes a suburb of the itself, being less than 14 km away. Equally close it is Rotterdam, 15 km further south.
Delft was founded in 1074 and in 1246 obtained the title of city. Over the next two centuries it prospered thanks to its wool mills and breweries. 1654 was a black year in the annals of the city: an explosion in the powder keg almost completely destroyed it.
Today Delft is famous for the production of blue and white pottery and also for hosting many higher education institutions clustered in the area southwest of the center.
Delft is also the birthplace of the philosopher Hugo de Groot best known in Italian as Ugo Grotius (1583–1645) and the painter Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675).
How to orient yourself
Delft: full screen map.- De Markt, the market square is the heart of Delft. The town hall and the New Church overlook it (Nieuwe Kerk). In the center is the statue of the philosopher Ugo Grotius.
- Oude Delft (Old canal) is the best known of the city canals crossed by romantic bridges and shaded by lime trees. Among the old houses that flank it, the most famous is the one at number 39, once the seat of the Dutch East India Company.
- Voldersgracht it is also an old and picturesque canal. On one side the houses emerge directly from the surface of the water while on the other side it is flanked by a narrow street.
How to get
By plane
- The Amsterdam-Schipol airport is connected to Delft by frequent intercity trains. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes.
- Rotterdam Airport is even closer but has fewer flights.
On the train
Delft station
- 1 Delft station (Station Delft).
By tram
Delft is connected to the Hague from the tram line n ° 1.
How to get around
What see
Civil and military architectures
Eastern gate
municipal building
- 1 Eastern gate (Oostpoort). It dates back to the early 15th century and is the only door left of the five that opened in the ancient city walls. Located at the mouth of the Oostende canal, the gate also served as an access for boats.
- 2 municipal building (Stadhuis van Delft). It was built in the first half of the 17th century on a 13th century building which was destroyed in the great fire of 1536 and of which only the tower survives. Inside are numerous portraits of the counts of Orange and Nassau, among which many are those made by Michiel van Mierevelt (1567–1641). In the Court room there is also a large canvas of the Judgment of Solomon by Pieter van Bronckhorst, a pupil of Rubens. The fourteenth-century tower, (Oude Steen) served as a prison and torture chamber. Balthasar Gérard, the murderer of William the Silent, was imprisoned there until his death sentence.
Religious architectures
New Church (Nieuwe Kerk)
Old Church (Oude Kerk)
- 3 New Church (Nieuwe Kerk). The bell tower of the new church reaches 108.75 meters in height and is the highest of the Netherlands after that of the cathedral of Utrecht.
- 4 Old Church (Oude Kerk). It is the oldest church in the city. It dates back to the year 1000 but was completely rebuilt between 1425 and 1440 and again after the damage caused by the explosion of the powder keg in 1654. Famous people such as the painter Jan Vermeer and the admirals Maarten Tromp and Piet Hein are buried inside. The bell tower of the old church is 75 meters high and has a slight slope.
Museums
- 5 "Prince's Palace" Museum (Museum Het Prinsenhof), Sint Agathaplein.
12 €. 
Mon-Sun 11: 00-17: 00. A former convent which later became the residence of the prince William I of Orange, called the taciturn and supporter of the independence of the Dutch provinces from the dominion of the Habsburgs of Spain. The prince was assassinated in his mansion on July 10, 1584 with three pistol shots fired at him by Balthasar Gérard, a Frenchman who in this way tried to collect the 25,000 crowns cut by Philip II of Spain on the head of the Prince of Orange. The French failed to do so and was captured while trying to escape from the Prinsenhof. He was brutally tortured before his death sentence was carried out 4 days later. Philip II of Spain rewarded his heirs with three country estates in Lievremont, Hostal and Dampmartin in Franche-Comté but never paid out the amount of the bounty. - Technical Museum (Techniekmuseum).
12 €. 
Mon-Sun 11: 00-17: 00. A former convent which later became the residence of the prince Parks and gardens
- 6 Botanical Garden (Botanische Tuin TU Delft).
