delft

Delft is a historic city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It lies in the western part of the country, between The Hague and Rotterdam, and is part of the Randstad metropolitan area. The city is traversed by canals and has a well-preserved medieval center with notable sites such as the Markt square, the Nieuwe Kerk and the Town Hall.

Origins of Delft date to the Middle Ages; it grew as a market town and regional center for trade and crafts, and it received city rights in the 13th century. Over time it developed into a hub for pottery, science and engineering.

Delft is renowned for Delftware, tin-glazed pottery produced in the city from the 16th century. The Royal Delft factory (De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles) was established in 1653 and remains a major emblem of the Delft tradition. The city is also associated with the 17th-century painter Johannes Vermeer and with the Delft School of painting.

Key historical sites include the Prinsenhof Museum, housed in the former residence of William of Orange, and canal-side houses that reflect the city’s historic waterways.

Education and research are central to Delft, notably the Delft University of Technology (Technische Universiteit Delft), founded in 1842 as a royal academy of technology and now one of the Netherlands’ leading technical universities. The city hosts numerous research institutes and technology firms.

Delft has a population of about 100,000 residents and is well connected by rail and road to Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam, making it part of the wider Dutch urban network.