When we speak of the Netherlands (Nederland), the canals of Amsterdam (Amsterdam) or the modern architecture of Rotterdam (Rotterdam) immediately spring to mind for most people. But if you are looking for the true, romantic and authentic spirit of the Dutch Golden Age, your destination is Delft. Often called ‘Little Amsterdam’ owing to its picturesque network of canals, this city offers a similar romance, but without the crowds of tourists and the hectic traffic. Yet, the most profound impression it leaves is one of absolute peace and harmony. And we gladly immersed ourselves in its magic.
A leisurely tram ride to the heart of the city
I must admit we were taking things quite easily during our time in the Netherlands (Nederland), so I did not track every possible travel route. However, we reached Delft from the outskirts of The Hague (Den Haag) and the town of Rijswijk on tram number 1. Trams really are a wonderful invention! And Anna (Ani) and Adriana (Adi), like all children, absolutely love anything on rails. Today we are exploring the Netherlands with them, alongside our friends Jana and Nicolas, who live here and are showing us their favourite weekend walks. Yana has been living in the lowlands for over 20 years, and if you want to explore the country like a local, I highly recommend her personal guide: The Netherlands through my eyes: hidden gems & must sees.
The tram dropped us off right next to a windmill by a picturesque canal. We would later learn how important it is to the city, but to begin with, we headed to the Prince’s Court (Museum Prinsenhof Delft), which unfortunately was closed for renovation at the time. To make up for it, the neighbouring Old Church (Oude Kerk) rose before us in all its glory.
The Old Church (Oude Kerk) and its Leaning John
The Old Church is the oldest building in the city, founded in 1246, and you will recognise it instantly for one very specific reason: its 75-metre bell tower leans heavily! The locals affectionately call it Scheve Jan (Leaning John).
The reason for this Pisan effect is quite prosaic: when they started building the heavy stone tower in the 14th century, they had to fill in part of the nearby canal to make room. The soft, waterlogged ground quickly gave way and the tower began to sink on one side. Today it leans nearly 2 metres from the vertical! This tilt is the reason for another curious fact. A huge historic bell, weighing an incredible 9 tonnes, hangs in the tower. Because locals have valid concerns that its powerful vibrations could further damage the unstable structure, it is rung exceptionally rarely and only on one specific occasion: for the funeral of a Dutch royal family member. But the Oude Kerk is not only famous for its tower. Its interior guards the tombs of some of the greatest Dutch figures. It is exactly here that Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, is buried, alongside the master of light, Johannes Vermeer.
The smallest museum in the world (and Trump)
While strolling through the old centre, very close to the Old Church, we stumbled upon something unusual. On Oude Delft street, right opposite a charming café, sits a former public telephone box that has been transformed into the smallest museum in the world!
The project is called Voor de Kunst (For Art) and is a miniature gallery with an area of just 1 square metre. The space is so small that the art is viewed entirely from the outside, through the glass of the box. The concept is simple: every month or two, works or installations by a different contemporary artist are exhibited inside. It is a way for art to step directly onto the street and surprise passers-by. During our walk in April, a figure of Donald Trump was residing in the booth! Such satirical and political references are common among contemporary Dutch artists, who use this little glass box to provoke smiles or reflection from tourists and locals alike.
Delft during the Golden Age: Ships, gunpowder and kings
The historical significance of Delft goes far beyond the boundaries of an ordinary provincial town. During the 17th century, the era of the Dutch Golden Age, the city was one of the six centres (chambers) of the powerful Dutch East India Company (VOC), which turned it into a crucial hub for global trade.
Delft was also the stage for key political events. It was here, in the Prince’s Court, that William of Orange, known as the ‘Father of the Nation’ for leading the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, lived and was assassinated in 1584. Because of this unbreakable bond with the royal family, all members of the House of Orange have been buried in the crypt of the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) ever since. The city also held significant military importance, serving as the chief arsenal of the republic. However, this very fact led to one of its greatest tragedies: the Delft Thunderclap of 1654, when a huge warehouse containing 30 tonnes of gunpowder exploded, destroying a large part of the city and killing hundreds.
Along the canals: Mosaic maps and history in stone
After taking plenty of photos in front of the impressively leaning tower of the Old Church and the telephone box, we continued our walk. The surrounding streets were dotted with charming little shops and stalls. The city literally pulses with art and history on every corner.
As we wandered along the oldest canal, we came across an incredible find on one of the facades: a huge mosaic map of the historic city, entitled Delfia Batavorum. Completed in 2020, it is a one-of-a-kind project involving over 500 artists. Crafted from countless colourful pieces of ceramic and accompanied by delightful little porcelain hearts, it shows the picturesque layout of the canals and proves just how closely the city is tied to its ceramic heritage.
Looking at the facades further on, you can continue reading the city’s history. You can spot beautiful stone reliefs that tell the story of what people did for a living in the past. One such wonderful relief from 1658, which we managed to admire, belongs to the former Cloth Hall (Saai-, Grein- en Stoffe-hal). It depicts merchants measuring and inspecting fabrics, serving as vivid proof of the city’s bustling trade life.
A little further down, another impressive building awaited us: the Gemeenlandshuis van Delfland. Built around 1505 in the Brabantine Gothic style, this is the oldest surviving stone residential building in the city. Its history sounds like the plot of a film! Its first owner, the bailiff Jan de Huyter, amassed fabulous wealth from collecting taxes on hops for beer. This massive stone residence was so sturdy that it miraculously survived intact during the catastrophic Great Fire of 1536, which reduced almost all of Delft to ashes. Its luxury was so renowned that the Holy Roman Emperor himself, Charles V, stayed in its chambers in 1541. Today, its facade, decorated with colourful coats of arms designed by Pieter Post, is a true gem. Since 1645, the building has been the main headquarters of the Water Board, the institution that has saved the Netherlands from floods for centuries. Although its interior guards priceless maps and unique wallpaper, it is a working office and only opens its doors to tourists once a year during Open Monument Day.
On the square (Markt): Cheese and porcelain
The cosiness and peace of the small streets along the canals were quickly replaced by a slightly more dynamic scene. Anna and Adriana happily darted among the pedestrians, while we genuinely worried they might be swept away by a passing cyclist. Here, cyclists certainly make up for the lack of cars! And so, weaving between the bicycles, we found ourselves in the central square (Markt).
The square is the heart of the city and is framed by two imposing buildings standing face to face. On one side shines the beautiful Renaissance City Hall (Stadhuis). The current building was designed by the famous architect Hendrick de Keyser in 1620, after the old town hall burnt almost to the ground. Its facade is a true masterpiece, with its characteristic red window shutters and golden details. Curiously, the oldest surviving part still rises behind it: the massive 13th-century stone tower known as Het Steen, which once served as a medieval prison and torture chamber.
Right opposite the City Hall, at the other end of the square, stands the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk). Despite its name, its construction began back in 1396. Its iconic dark tower is the second tallest church tower in the Netherlands, reaching nearly 109 metres. As mentioned earlier, it is in this very church that the lavish mausoleum of William of Orange and the crypt of the Dutch royal family are located.
While strolling around the square, our interests quickly divided. Mimi immediately slipped into the Henri Willig Kaas Delft cheese shop, where she enthusiastically and delightfully began tasting various types of dairy delicacies. I, on the other hand, indulged in the other local passion: Delftware. I first went into the Heinen Delftware (Heinen Delfts Blauw) shop to look at their classic blue and white collections, and a little later I popped over to the other end of the square to visit the Royal Delft Ware / Delft outlet.
You cannot visit the city without noticing the exquisite blue and white ceramics peeking out from every shop window. The history of Delfts Blauw (Delft Blue) began in the early 17th century when VOC ships started importing fine Chinese porcelain from the Ming dynasty. This porcelain became extremely popular among the wealthy classes, but its importation was interrupted due to a civil war in China. To meet the demand, potters in Delft began creating imitations. However, they faced a problem: there is no kaolin in the Netherlands, the special white clay needed for true porcelain. Therefore, they used local yellow clay, which they coated with an opaque white tin glaze after firing to imitate the white background. The drawings were done by hand using a mixture containing cobalt oxide, which is initially black but undergoes a chemical reaction after a second firing in the kiln, acquiring that deep, iconic blue colour.
Johannes Vermeer: The Master of Light
Shortly before finishing our tour of the square, we also passed by the Vermeer Centrum Delft. Why is Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is so important to this city? He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, recognised worldwide as the ‘Master of Light’. His entire life and work are inextricably linked to Delft.
His most popular painting is undoubtedly ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, often called the ‘Mona Lisa of the North’. Painted in oils on canvas in 1665 and of modest dimensions (44.5 cm high by 39 cm wide), it is perhaps the most recognisable canvas by the Dutch genius. Today, this painting, along with his other masterpiece ‘View of Delft’, is kept very close by, in the Mauritshuis museum in neighbouring The Hague. There is not a single original painting of his in Delft today; there are only 34 of them in the entire world.
The cosiness of Dutch interiors and the absence of traffic
Despite its turbulent history, what makes Delft so special today is its serene present. Our modern cityscapes are nightmarishly clogged with cars and heavy traffic. It was there that I realised how much this street tension transfers onto us. In Delft, this negative aspect of modern times was completely absent. The feeling of stress gives way to the peaceful pedalling of bicycles and a sense of safety.
In typical Dutch fashion, the curtains of many houses were left wide open. Strolling past, one can discreetly peek into these doll-like homes, arranged with exceptional taste. You see white sofas, antique fireplaces and always some bright accent, like a vase of fresh tulips or a wall cabinet full of porcelain. The Dutch are true masters of interior design, managing to combine old and new furniture in a remarkably cosy atmosphere.
Goodbye, Delft: The De Roos Windmill and tulips as a souvenir
The old part of Delft is truly a small and compact place, allowing you to enjoy your walk quite peacefully and without rushing. And before leaving, we once again passed the windmill that had welcomed us that morning, the Delft Windmill de Roos.
I am not sure why it was closed at that exact moment (it still functions as a real grain mill and is only open to visitors on certain days), but we managed to photograph it from the outside in all its glory. It is exceptionally valuable because it is the only survivor of the 15 windmills that once stood along the city walls. A fascinating detail is that a few years ago, this entire massive historic structure was lifted up by a whole metre by engineers so that an underground railway tunnel could be built beneath it!
We left Delft with full hands and full hearts. The children were incredibly happy with the walk, the little tulips we bought as gifts for home, and absolutely everything in the Netherlands. Delft showed us that genuine, cosy and welcoming face of the country that you simply cannot help but fall in love with.