Story
The story of Nieuwe Kerk Delft
This church facing the Markt is where the House of Orange buries its dead. In 1584 William the Silent was entombed here, and his grand allegorical monument was crafted by Hendrick de Keyser and his son Pieter around 1621. Since then members of the royal family have been laid to rest in the royal crypt, most recently Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 2004; the crypt itself is closed to the public.
The tower was built from 1396 to 1496 by Jacob van der Borch, and its spire, recreated by Pierre Cuypers in 1872, makes it the second highest in the Netherlands after Utrecht's Dom Tower. In 1586 the scientist Simon Stevin used it for an experiment on gravity.
Look also for the tomb of Hugo Grotius, born in Delft in 1583; his wife Maria van Reigersberch, who helped him escape from prison in 1621 hidden in a book chest, lies with him.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Delft
- Oude DelftThe Oude Delft is the oldest canal and street in Delft, running roughly north–south through the western part of the old town.
- Vermeer CentreThe Vermeer Centre is an information center dedicated to the painter Johannes Vermeer and the work of his contemporaries in Delft, the Netherlands. The building is a rebuilt version of the old local Guild of Saint Luke.
- PrinsenhofFile:Prinsenhof Delft.jpg Het Prinsenhof ("The Court of the Prince") is a museum in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. Formerly the monastery of St Agatha, the building changed purpose over time.
- Eastern GateThe Eastern Gate in Delft, Netherlands, is an example of Brick Gothic northern European architecture that was built around 1400. Around 1510, the towers were enhanced with an additional octagonal floor and high spires.
- MarktThe Markt in Delft, 120 by 50 metres, is one of the largest historic market squares in Europe, with the Nieuwe Kerk at one end and the city hall at the other.
- Oude KerkThe Oude Kerk (Old Church), nicknamed Oude Jan ("Old John") and Scheve Jan ("Skewed John"), is a Gothic Protestant church in the old city centre of Delft, the Netherlands.