Delft

Three days in Delft
17th - 20th May 



Arriving in Delft - 17th May

I arrived in Delft mid-afternoon, settled in at Hotel Leeuwenbrug and walked into the centre. I found the Tourist Office, picked up some leaflets and a walking guide to Delft and sat in a bar in the Market Square planning an itinerary for the next couple of days.



Portret van Willem van Oranje (1620 - 1624)

A day in Delft - 18th May

I hadn’t realised that Delft was such an important town in the history of The Netherlands. All I knew about it before I visited was Delft Blue Porcelain (Delfts Blauw). But William of Orange went to live there in 1572 and led the revolt against the Spanish. The town prospered and became wealthy during the 17th Centuary Golden Age (Gouden Eeue) of expansion and trade. The artist Johannes Vermeer also came from Delft and there is a museum devoted to him,  but I saw some of his paintings when I was in Den Haag, including the ‘View of Delft’.



Gezicht op Delft c.1660 - Johannes Vermeer 

My walk took me to the old and new churches (Oude Kerk & Nieuwe Kerk) and the Museum Prinsenhof  where I learnt a lot about Dutch history and Delfts Blauw. And of course I allowed plenty of time to sit in cafes and bars in the Markt. Although called the New Church, construction began in 1381.William of Orange was buried there and it has been the burial place for the Dutch Royal family throughout their history. 



Funeral statue of William of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk 

An added bonus was the special Art Nouveau Exhibition displaying the work of Delft artists and craftsmen. There were also several Art Nouveau posters advertising Delft businesses. 





Lucy was more interested in the souvenir shops and wanted to buy nearly everything she saw. In the end she settled for some Delfts Blauw bicycle panniers. 



A day in Den Haag - 19th May



On my second day staying in Delft I decided to get a tram to Den Haag. When I arrived I bought an  architectural walking guide of the city and explored 9 centuaries of Dutch architecture, starting at the very modern stadhuis. 





From there I went to the Binnenhof, the government and Parliament buildings which are built around a very large square. Prior to 1806 Den Haag was the Capital City, until Louis Bonaparte installed his government in Amsterdam. Eight years later when the French were ousted, the government returned Den Haag, but Amsterdam remained the capital.



Part of the Binnenhof

 I spent time in the Mauritshuis Art Gallery looking at some paintings by Dutch Grand Masters from the Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt  and Vermeer, before my final stop of the day at the Vredespaleis (Peace Palace), the International law administrative building which houses the International Court of Justice.



Not sure about 100 years of World Peace

Before getting the tram back to Delft, Lucy got a slice of Dutch Apple Cake, which Bibi had told me was a ‘must have’, either with or without cream.




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