1 post tagged “delft”

Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South 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 Royal Family. ts a beautiful, unspoiled town with traditional architecture, canals, bikes, and the world famous blue and white ceramics.

Delft is more than 750 years old. Its name is derived from 'delven' which means digging. elfts oldest canal is called The Old Delft (de Oude Delft). In 1246 Delft got city rights, ranted by Holland's Duke William II. Delft grew prosperous and new neighbourhoods ere added to the city. In 1355 it reached the size it would remain at until the 1900s.

In 1536 a big fire destroyed 2300 houses. Most likely lightning struck the tower of The ew Church. About 100 years later, in 1654, an explosion destroyed large parts of town; a arehouse with 80,000 pounds of gunpowder blew up. A new warehouse (Kruithuis) was ater built, outside the city perimeter.

Delft has long been a centre of art and science. With the foundation of the VOC (Dutch ast India Company) in 1602, Delft also became a trading center. The VOC was at one ime the largest trading company in the world, with a huge fleet and offices all over Asia. one of the Dutch offices was in Delft.

In 1842 the Royal Academy for Civil Engineering (Koninklijke Acedemie voor Burgerlijke ingenieurs) is founded. Nowadays know as Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) it is Delfts biggest employer. About 13.000 students study in Delft.

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.

For Complete Article Please Follow the Link - Delft Travel Guide