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THE NIEUWE KERK OF DELFT AND AROUND


Just about midway between Den Haag and Rotterdam, the fabled Dutch medieval town of Delft sits silently and regally. After all, the cultural legacy it preserves is the richest of the Dutch heritage. The father of the Fatherland William of Orange lived here. So did Vermeer who created so many of the Dutch masterpieces. The father of microbiology Leeuwenhoek also lived here. And a testimony to all the legacy is the Nieuwe Kerk.  The Nieuwe Kerk (or, the New Church), is not new. In fact, the church was constructed during the fifteenth century. The reason why it is called the New Church is because there is another church Oude Kerk (or, the Old Church) which was built two hundred years earlier. The Church is located in the Markt (market square) of Delft. The Church has been the burial place of the Dutch royalty ever since it was built and that shows how important a position it holds in Dutch culture and sentiments. William I, also known as William of Orange, successfully led the Dutch in the Eighty years War against the Spanish and is considered the founding father of the Netherlands. He was assassinated in Delft and was laid to rest in this church and was entombed here. Since then, the royal families of generations have been entombed in this Church. 


Opposite to Church on the Markt, lies the Stadhuis (City Hall). A renaissance style building originally designed by Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser during the seventeenth century when the previous Stadhuis was destroyed by fire has been Delft's municipality or the government. The Oude Kerk (Old Church) is a short walk away. Constructed during the thirteenth century, this church has a leaning brick tower. This Church is the final resting place of some of the Dutch giants including Vermeer and Leeuwenhoek. Another landmark, the Prisenhof is just in front of the Old Church. It was originally built as a monastery but later housed the William of Orange. It was in the Prisenhof where William of Orange was assassinated. The Prisenhof now serves as a museum housing some of the rare collections of paintings and artifacts.


Something which is really striking about this place surrounding the Nieuwe Kerk are the paintings in blue. Shops selling the Delftware or the Delft pottery are almost everywhere around and the walls too are full of paintings and art forms in blue. Most of these paintings reflect the Dutch sentiments brilliantly - for instance the windmills and canals...or the  famous paintings of the Dutch masters or the pictures of the Dutch royalties.  Inspired by Chinese porcelain that the Dutch East India company imported from China, Delftware started and was an industry during early seventeenth century in itself during the 17th and 18th century. Soon, Delftware was exported to far off places like China and Japan also. Do find some time to get into a local shop and get a first hand feeling of the Delftware. 


The canals of Delft are delicately planned and designed amalgamating well with the medieval sentiments of the surrounding monuments and art-forms. Sometimes I wonder, with a heritage as rich as that of Delft, is it just the lack of marketing that Delft doesn't rank at the top of the Dutch tourist destinations. 

Delft is well connected with trains, trams and buses from most locations within the Randstad. About 20 minutes from the Hague Central by tram, around the same time from Rotterdam by train...And slightly more from Amsterdam. Really envy the students of TU Delft for whom the late night walks around this region are as routine as it can be.

This post is for alphabet ‘N' of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2020 challenge:

N for NieweKerk

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