Holland · 31. Juli 2016

Delft in Holland

Delft is a historic city and picturesque place in the Dutch province South Holland and is situated between the City of Rotterdam in the south and Den Haag to the north.

Delft is an old and historic city in the Netherlands with a historic city centre that was preserved throughout history. Many canals cross the city and two large churches around the great market give the city a distinctive aura. Because of so many old houses Delft comes across as a bit of a medieval city, though, the city has long arrived in modern times.

The historic city centre is characterized by architectural styles such as Brabant Gothic, patrician houses and partly by the Renaissance. The city has quite its own style and successfully managed to stick to its own style.

And when thinking of Delft it is one thing that directly springs to mind: China or porcelain, the tradename being Delft Blue. Rings any bells?

Because of that special style of the city, Delft has developed to one of the most visited places in the Netherlands directly after Amsterdam. Annually about one million people travel to Delft and spend some quality time there.

What are the most interesting sights in Delft?

The most interesting sights in Delft are as follows:

Royal Delft - The Royal Porcelain Museum
The New Church - Nieuwe Kerk
The Grand Market Square
The Vermeer Centre Delft
The Prinsenhof Delft Museum
The Beestenmarkt - Beesten Market
The weekly Flea Market on Saturday
The Old Church
The Oostport (a must for any photographer)
The Windmill Molen de Roos

This is what everyone knows and most people go to. Nothing wrong with that. Though, walking about town with open eyes will show you so many jewels that your walk-about will take much longer than was originally be planned.

Delft is a pretty nice town in South Holland, situated between Rotterdam and The Hague, population is about 101,000. The city is known for its historic town centre and canals, and also for Delft Blue pottery, Delft University, Hugo Grotius and painter Johannes Vermeer.

Knowing that is fine, having been there is better. That is what I thought. You need to find a parking outside the old city centre. Then you can explore everything on foot. No problem. The photographers will have a field day, because the lovely city has plenty to show and worth taking a pic of or two.

The city has its own Charme and you don't need long to feel home there. On the left you can see the central market with the old town hall in the back.

The following pics show quite a bit of the town. When I went there it was just something spontaneous because there was nothing else to do. So I had no plan what to expect. And so I trained my camera on everything that seemed interesting.

Mural Paintings in Delft

The following pics show clearly that Delft Blue can produce much more than just pottery. A cheeky street artist did his or her very best to enjoy passers-by and everyone else by doing some delft blue near the market square. Enjoy!

Delft Grand Market

Craftsman working on Clogs

Oostpoort Delft

The Oostpoort Delft is a historic city gate that has been preserved into our time. The gate itself fits perfectly into the surroundings and is one of so many pictoresque buildings in Delft. Oostport is situated at Zuidergracht and is accessible from Oosteinde on foot, by bicycle or by car.