Wedged in between The Hague and Rotterdam, this small city could be an all-round great place to settle down with the family. We take a walk through Delft.

Delft's historic centre is very picturesque

Delft is home to the famous Delft blue earthenware, an acclaimed technical university, Johannes "Girl-with-a-pearl-earring" Johannes Vermeer and a beautiful old church full of dead royals.

Wedged in between The Hague and Rotterdam this small city could be an all-round great place to settle down with the family.

Royal connection

The city of Delft, which is more than 750 years old, has historically been linked to the Dutch royal family. In 1584 William of Orange was shot and killed in Het Prinsenhof.

Now a museum, the bullet holes can still be seen although through the years they have more than tripled in size because of all the visitors who felt the need to stick their fingers in them.

William, like most of the royal family, lies buried in the crypt of the New church which stands majestically in the heart of Delft's historic city centre.

Housing

Delft's inner city not only resembles Amsterdam's swanky canals when it comes to the architecture, the prices are also steep, if not as steep as in Amsterdam. A house on the Oude Delft, the equivalent of the Keizersgracht, can run in the millions and even the smaller, formerly working-class houses in the narrow streets of Delft's historic city centre can cost anything from EUR 300,000 and up.

Because of the university and great location and transportation links that Delft has to offer the city has become a place where a lot of young families want to settle down. The relatively high demand for housing is reflected in the realty prices.

Despite the outrageous prices Lisette Haffner of Delft realty company Van Silfhout points out that Delft's old inner city remains popular with many property buyers.

Haffner: "The historic city centre and the areas Hof van Delft and the Westerkwartier are particularly popular. But (young) families tend to prefer Tanthof, a purpose-built residential area, which dates from the 1970s."

The uninspiring Vinex locations Emerald and Ypenburg just on the edge of Delft also have proven to be popular with middle-income earners and families with young children.

A slightly better alternative are the smaller communities like Pijnacker, Delfgauw and Nootdorp – which was voted one of the country's most green residential areas.

These smaller places might not have the full amenities that Delft has to offer but offer more greenery, more interesting architecture and a more homely feel than the ever-expanding Vinex locations and the good news is that the charming historic town of Delft with its picturesque cobbled streets and architectural delights is only a short train bike away.

Delftware

Known worldwide for its Delftware, Delft is a favourite with day trippers and tourists who quite literally come in by the bus loads. The blue and white earthenware apparently still has some strong pulling power for in Spring and Summer the city is flocked with tourists who come, among other things, to admire and buy the ceramics.

There are only factories still making authentic Delftware

Unfortunately, these days most of the blue and white that is for sale isn't actually Delftware but cheap reproductions that are made overseas – in fact there are only two  remaining factories that produce the authentic Delftware: the Porceleyne Fles and the Delftse Pauw.

For those interested in antique Delftware there is the Lambert van Meerten museum. Located on the prestigious Oude Delft this former house showcases different rooms filled to the rim with antique artifacts as well as a great collection of Delftware tiles.

Culture

Delft is in essence a miniature version of Amsterdam. There are the same pretty canals and stately canal houses. There is even the odd coffeeshop but the one thing Delft does not have is a good night life.

There is an abundance of bars and cafes – this is, after all, a college town – as well as a handful of cinemas but that's really about it. For those who want some serious action in their weekend it is comforting to know that The Hague, Rotterdam and even Amsterdam are only a relatively short train ride away.

In fact transportation links in Delft are excellent. There is a tram line that connects the city to The Hague and the seaside town of Scheveningen and there are regular trains to and from the bigger cities that surround Delft (The Hague is just 5 minutes by train, Rotterdam a mere 15 and Amsterdam some 50 minutes).

While Delft's night life might leave a lot to be desired the city does offer a great number of restaurants, including a Michelin-winning one: De Zwetheul. Arguably the best place to have lunch is the Stads-koffyhuis.

This lunchroom has been creating award-winning sandwiches for years and is almost always packed, especially in summer when the café boat that sits just outside the establishment fills up quickly. Another Delft "institution" is Kobus Kuch.

Located on the picturesque Beestenmarkt alongside a multitude of outdoor cafes, Kobus Kuch is the place were the locals come to have some of the superb homemade apple pie, which comes with a huge dollop of whipped cream.

May 2005

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Where to live in the Netherlands, Delft