Perhaps it’s not a good idea to hand out copies of Vermeer’s masterpiece “View of Delft” on canal boat rides.
“See here!” another passenger yelled at me, slapping a copy of it and waving angrily toward a row of boxy, charmless apartment buildings. “They’ve ruined the view!”
She was right. From this vantage point, little remained of the 17th Century Dutch town that so captivated Johannes Vermeer, its most famous resident. Gone are the red tile roofs, the old city wall, the Rotterdam gate, all bathed in the luminous light for which Vermeer’s landscapes are so admired.
Now for the good news: Much of Delft’s city center has been beautifully preserved, including New Church, the final resting place of Holland’s kings and queens, and Old Church, where Vermeer is buried. The canals are still lined with fine gabled homes, and the streets are still paved with bricks that are pleasing to the eye, if not always to the feet.
Most visitors to the Netherlands stay in Amsterdam and see little of Delft except on tours of the countryside. That’s a shame because Delft has much of the charm of Amsterdam–indeed, it’s often called “Little Amsterdam”–in a more intimate, less touristy setting.
Within a 10-minute walk of most any hotel, you’ll find a surprising number of museums, galleries and high-end shops. And you could eat out every night for two weeks but still not hit all of the excellent, moderately priced restaurants. There’s every conceivable type of cuisine, including Indonesian and South African–a legacy of this nation’s seafaring, colonial past.
Delft also has an abundance of cozy little bars and cafes, due in part to being a college town. Engineers from Delft University of Technology have contributed much to the Netherlands’ flood defense system, which makes it possible for millions of people to live several feet below sea level.
Delft, whose name comes from the Dutch word “to dig,” dates from the 11th Century, when the first canal was carved out of the boggy soil. The town thrived as a commercial center and–at a time when water wasn’t safe to drink–once boasted 200 breweries.
In 1602, Delft became a headquarters of the Dutch East India Co., once the world’s largest trading organization. Through it, townspeople came in contact with Chinese porcelain and developed their own blue-and-white facsimile. Of 32 factories, just one survives, though Delftware knockoffs can be found everywhere tourists might roam.
Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632, and he spent most of his life in the city, immortalizing the Golden Age of the Northern Netherlands. Even more than “View of Delft,” often called the finest cityscape ever painted, he is known for the mesmerizing “Girl With a Pearl Earring.”
The 2004 movie of the same name, based on Vermeer’s supposed infatuation with a young housemaid, was filmed entirely around the Markt, Delft’s historic market square. For the filming, all traces of modernity–cars, bikes, street signs–were removed or disguised to re-create a 1670 village teeming with donkeys and chickens.
In 1675, Vermeer was buried in Old Church, which became my favorite place in the city after I got over the fear I wasn’t seeing straight.
Built in phases starting in 1256, the church settled so much in the marshy soil that the clock tower leans several feet off center. In the 1800s, city fathers even considered tearing it down before it could collapse.
Fortunately, it remains, an off-kilter beacon that soars above neighboring rooftops and guides the disoriented visitor back to the hotel or the Markt. A booming chime rings every hour on the hour–be sure to pack earplugs if you get a room nearby.
Delft’s other famous place of worship is New Church. According to legend, there were so many visions of the Virgin Mary that the town council finally decided to build a church on the spot where she supposedly appeared.
Like Old Church, the new one was plagued by subsidence; some experts think the visions were actually swamp gas. Less than 50 years after completion, the tower was hit by lightning in 1536, starting a fire that destroyed much of Delft.
No wonder the Dutch at times have been skeptical about organized religion.
Today, the church is worth a visit for its new but magnificent stained glass windows–the originals blew out when a gunpowder factory exploded in 1654–and an interesting film on Delft’s ties to the Dutch royal family.
It was from here that William of Orange led his fight against Spanish occupiers. When he was assassinated in 1584, the royal burial vaults in Breda were still in Spanish hands, so he was interred in New Church, starting a tradition that continues to this day.
The monarch buried here most recently was Queen Juliana, whose 2004 funeral was a grand spectacle that drew thousands of mourners to Delft.
After leaving New Church, step out into the Markt, lined with cafes and souvenir shops full of fridge magnets shaped like windmills and wooden shoes. The best time to visit is on Thursdays, when the square is packed with stalls selling everything from discount clothes and cosmetics to fresh bread and big orange wheels of cheese.
Along a nearby canal, vendors offer a colorful array of flowers and plants, many toted off in bicycle baskets.
Yes, the Dutch love their bikes, and you can rent one for about $8 a day at the train station. Or you can take a bike taxi for modest cost.
Better yet, just stroll and enjoy this delightful little city, where Western Europe is as friendly and accessible as you’ll ever find it.
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IF YOU GO
Most Dutch speak English, making the country an easy place to get around for Americans.
GETTING THERE
Trains run frequently from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport; it’s a one-hour trip. Delft is just a few minutes by train from Rotterdam, the huge port, and The Hague, where Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring” hangs in the Mauritshuis museum.
STAYING THERE
Delft has several hotels, but just three have four-star ratings. All are quaint, but they are in old buildings whose steep stairs may pose problems for some guests.
I stayed at the Best Western Delft Museumhotel, across from Old Church and next to the former convent-turned-museum where Prince William was murdered. (Unless you speak or read Dutch, skip the museum.) Rooms start at about $125.
Like the Best Western, the Hotel de Ark and Les Compagnons Grand Canal are also situated along Oude Delft, the city’s oldest canal. Prices are about the same as for the Best Western.
For reservations, check www.delfthotels.nl/eng/index.html.
–S.T.M.
