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GO delft History History of Delft
The surroundings of Delft were inhabited long before the beginning of the Christian era by a small amount of fishermen, hunters and farmers. The area mainly contained swampy marshes and only the higher parts as the dunes and the man-made mounds were suitable for habitation. In the Roman time and the early Middle Ages there were some small settlements in the surroundings, as is revealed by archeological excavations in Naaldwijk, Wateringen and Voorburg. Just in the 11th century the area began to devellop and became a prosperous farming area. Initially still on a small scale because the low lands were regularly submerged by the sea. In the 12th century three enormous floods led finally to steps to protect the land. Thus halfway the 13th century the Maasdijk (Meuse dike) was built and from then the agricultural activities in the area increased. Because of this growth the settlements such as Delft, Vlaardingen and Schiedam develloped into prosperous trade towns.
The name Delft derives from the first canal, Delf, which was probably dug around the year 1100. This canal nowadays is called Oude Delft and still flows through town, parallel to the railroad track. Around 1200 Delft as a community was mentioned for the first time. Halfway the 13th century the Count of Holland, Willem II, granted Delft its town rights and therefor got an important position in the Staten van Holland, the medieval gouvernment. In the same period the construction of the Oude Kerk (old church) was started, originally called Bartholomeuskerk.
In the 14th century the canal Delfshavense Schie was dug to give Delft a connection with the river Maas and its own sea port. Around the port at the bank of the Maas the settlement Delfshaven (port of Delft) arose. It is so far away from Delft that nowadays it is a Rotterdam district. But in the Middle Ages the construction of Delfshaven was a considerable extension of the transport- and trade opprtunities, and Delft could develop itself further into a trade centre. Important products were butter, textile, carpets and Delft beer. As a result of the of the towns? growth the need for a second church arose and the construction of the Nieuwe Kerk (new church) was started. Except for growth and prosperity the town also had to suffer some serious disasters. In the 16th century, when houses were still built of wood, a third of the town was burned down.
In the 16th century Delft joined the revolt of the Dutch towns against the Spanish rulers. Prince Willem of Oranje took his residence in the Prinsenhof (prince court), a former convent, to lead the revolt. The battle for independence would last eighty years, but Willem wasn?t able to enjoy the victory. In 1584 he was assassinated at home in order of the king of Spain. Willem of Oranje was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk, a tradition which still is followed by the Dutch royal house.
In the 17th century the Golden Age began, a relatively peaceful period in which the Dutch towns were able to increase their trade activity even more. This also happened in Delft where the VOC (united East-Indian company) settled one of its six establishments, later followed by the West-Indian company. By the VOC luxurious products such as tea, spices, porcelain and silk were imported from Asia. In this period a product was invented that would make Delft world-famous: on Spanish earthenware and Chinese porcelein inspirated Delft pottery. Dozens of Delftware factories arose on the sites of former beer breweries. Nowadays Delft blue is still made by hand in a few remained factories.
Halfway the 17th century once again Delft was hit by a large disaster. An enormous explosion of the Kruithuis, a gunpowder storage, made many victims and devastated a large part of the town. Thanks to the increasing prosperity Delft was able to repair the damage.
Meanwhile it was usual to construct houses of stone, instead of wood, and as a result most of the remained historical buildings date from this period. The new Kruithuis has been built along the Schie, far away from the town and still exists. In this rich period also arts and sciences prospered. The Delft painters Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen and Pieter the Hoogh became world-famous. Hugo de Groot became an internationally well-known magistrate and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek improved the primitive microcope so that scientists were able to see something through it.
Around 1800, at the time of the French occupation, a period of economic decline began. The textile industry disappeared and the colonial trading companies were disbanded. As a result Delft lost its strong trade position. Besides, Rotterdam became more and more important as a port. Another activity became now important for Delft: science. Halfway the 19th century king Willem II founded the "Koninklijke Academie ter opleiding van burgerlijke ingenieurs" (royal academy for civil engineers), which later on would grow into the Technical University which nowadays covers a complete town district.
Except by science better times were brought in the 20th century by industrialisation. The largest factory of Delft, the Gist en Spiritusfabriek (yeast and alcohol factory) was set up in the 19th century. The location of Delft has been chosen for the presence of water ways, the railroad track The Hague - Rotterdam, sufficient labourers and the nearby large cities with many bakers in need for yeast to bake their breads. Except yeast also alcohol was produced, a little perfume factory Maison Neuve was added and the factory complex was extended with an oil factory. Particularly was, certainly in that period, that the Executive Board paid much attention for the well-being of the workers. An employees council was formed, there was a health insurance fund and a separate canteen, long before these things became common. In the course of time the factory has been extended further and nowadays is part of the multinational DSM, but it still spreads a characteristic smell of yeast. Like all towns and villages Delft grew explosive in the 19th century, an increase continued further in the 20th century. Nowadays Delft has some 100.000 inhabitants and is an unique mixture of high tech and history. At one hand it is an international centre for science and technique. Except the Technical University are established a concentration of sophisticated companies and modern research institutes, such as TNO and the Hydrolics laboratory. The towns historical centre on the other hand is preserved very well with many medieval canals, museums and other buildings. By the presence of many students the pubb density is rather large and many cafes and restaurants have sociable outdoor cafes in a historical environment, for example on the Beestenmarkt.
GOdelft.nl
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