Delft, tourist information

The Old Town Hall, Delft (side)

Delft is a beautiful old city and well worth a visit for everyone, the city once originated on a dug watercourse, called the 'Delf'. Delft is located in the province of South Holland between the major cities of The Hague and Rotterdam.

The city is known for its beautiful historic city center, the canals and of course the worldwide known 'Delft Blue'.

The Oosterpoort in Delft

With the beautiful old town, the many beautiful monuments and the old canals, Delft makes a wonderful historical impression. When you walk through Delft you certainly get the feeling that you have arrived in an old city.

Despite the historical disasters, the inner city is very beautiful and historic. In 1536 a large city fire which was probably caused by a lightning strike in the 'Nieuwe Kerk'. Later, in the year 1654, the 'Delftse Donderslag' took place, when a gunpowder warehouse exploded in the northeast of the city centre. This thunderclap was probably caused by sparks that ended up on the gunpowder from a lantern, this caused a huge explosion.

Further Delft history is 'The Delft Blue', the blue stone work that is known worldwide. Until the 16th century, pottery was only there for the rich, different pottery bakeries were created everywhere. They started baking a lot of stonework in Antwerp, where it was moved to Delft after the fall of Antwerp. Between 1600 and 1800, Delft became one of the most important pottery producers in all of Europe. Due to the popularity of Chinese porcelain, they started to imitate this in Delft, hence the blue color.

The New Church in Delft

With the past behind us, we can still admire a lot of beautiful things in Delft. The new church is not only beautiful to see, but is also the church with the second highest church tower (108,75M) in the Netherlands, only the Dom in Utrecht beats the tower. In addition to this special fact, the church also has a strong connection with the Royal Family of the Netherlands, under the church is a burial vault of the Oranje-Nassau. In addition to this imposing church, the town hall on the same square is also a beautiful monument. The old town hall survived the great city fire but unfortunately burned down in 1618. A town hall was built around the oldest building in Delft, 'het Oude Steen'. 'The Old Stone' is the tower that you can still see well, it is in the middle of the City Hall and has become part of it, it was the former torture chamber. Apart from these beautiful buildings, you can easily walk through Delft for much more cultural history.

The Market in Delft

Plenty of shopping fun in Delft, in the city center you can really find everything. A specialty store can be found in every shopping street and plenty of national chains. A shopping day in a pleasant historic city is certainly entertaining.

Shops can be found throughout the city centre, but most shops can be found south/east of the Nieuwe Kerk.

Delft:
Shopping evening: Friday
Every Sunday shopping Sunday

The Old Town Hall, Delft (front)

Plenty to do in Delft, boredom is not done! You can choose one of the many museums, climb the 108,75m high tower, catch a movie, watch theater and more!

The Beestenmarkt in Delft

From the center you can quickly relax by walking to the Wilhelminapark, the Agnetapark or the Arboretum Heempark. These are some small-scale parks to relax. Larger parks can be found just on the edge of the city

The Beestenmarkt at night in Delft

Delft has a vibrant nightlife, Delft is a student city and has plenty to offer when it comes to walking. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes and several discos in Delft. You will have a great time in the area around the 'Nieuwe Kerk'.