Delft

**Delft** is a ceety an municipality in the province o Sooth Holland (Zuid-Holland), the Netherlands. It is locatit in atween Rotterdam an The Hague.
Delft is primarily kent for its teepically Dutch toun centre (wi canals); an aa for the painter Vermeer, Delft Blue pottery (Delftware), the Delft University o Technology, an its association wi the Dutch ryal faimily, the Hoose o Orange-Nassau.

## History

The ceety dates frae the 13t century. It received its chairter in 1246.

The association o the Hoose o Orange-Nassau wi Delft began when William o Orange (Willem van Oranje), nicknamed William the Silent (Willem de Zwijger), teuk up residence in 1572. William wis the leader at the time in the struggle against the Spainyie, the Aichty Years' War.

Delft wis ane o the leadin ceeties o Holland an wis buskit wi the necessar ceety waws tae serve as a heidquarters. When William wis assassinatit in 1584, the faimily's traditional burial place in Breda wis in the haunds o the Spainyie. Therefore, he wis buirit in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Kirk), stairtin a tradeetion for the Hoose o Orange that haes continued iver syne.

### Delft Explosion
**The Delft Explosion**, an aa kent in history as the Delft Thunderclap, occurred on 12 October 1654 when a gunpouder store explodit, malafoustert muckle o the ceety.  Ower a hunder fowk wur killed an thoosans woundit.

Aboot 30 tonnes o gunpouder wur stored in barrels in a magazine in a umwhile Clarissen convent in the Doelenkwartier destrict.  Cornelis Soetens, the keeper o the magazine, opened the store tae check a sample o the pouder an a huge explosion follaeed.  Luckily, mony ceetizens wur away, visitin a mercat in Schiedam or a fair in The Hague. Airtist Carel Fabritius wis woundit in the explosion an dee'd o his injuries.  Efterward, Egbert van der Poel paintit several pictures o Delft showin the devastation.

## Sichts
The ceety centre retains mony auld an historical biggins, an mony streets hae canals in the center, inhabited bi fish an plants makin this bonnie sma ceety a tourist destination.  
Historical biggins include:
* Oude Kerk (Auld Kirk). Buirit here: Piet Hein, Johannes Vermeer, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek.
* Nieuwe Kerk (New Kirk), constructit atween 1381 an 1496. It contains the Dutch ryal faimily's burial vault, which atween funerals is sealed wi a 5000&nbsp;kg kiver stane.
* The Prinsenhof (Princes' Court), nou a museum.
* Ceety Haw on the Markt.
* The Oostpoort (Eastren gate), biggit aroond 1400. This is the anerlie remainin gate o the auld ceety waws.
* The Gemeenlandshuis Delfland, or Huyterhuis, biggit in 1505, which hooses the regional water authority Delfland syne 1645.
* Waag (Delft)

## Cultur
Delft is weel kent for the Delft pottery ceramic products which wur styled on the importit Cheenese porcelain o the 17t century. The ceety haed an early stairt in this aurie syne it wis a hame port o the Dutch East Indie Company.

The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) wis born in Delft. Vermeer uised Delft streets an hame interiors as the subject or backgrund o his paintins.

Several ither famous painters lived an wirked in Delft at that time, sic as Pieter de Hoogh, Carel Fabritius, Nicolaes Maes, Gerard Houckgeest an Hendrick Cornelisz. van Vliet. Thay aw wur members o the Delft Schuil. The Delft Schuil is kent for its images o domestic life, views o hoosehaulds, kirk interiors, courtyards, squares an the streets o Delft. The painters an aa produced pictures showin historic events, flouer paintins, portraits for patrons an the court, an decorative pieces o airt.

## Education
Delft University o Technology (TU Delft) is ane o three varsities o technology in the Netherlands. It wis foondit as an academy for ceevil ingineerin in 1842 bi Keeng William II. The day well ower 16,000 students are enrolled.

The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Eddication, providin postgraduate eddication for fowk frae developin kintras, draws on the strang tradeetion in water management an hydraulic ingineerin o the Delft varsity.

## Recreation
East o Delft is the *Delftse Hout* ("Delft Wood") recreation aurie, wi a lake (suitable for soummin an windsurfin), narrae beaches, a sma nudist aurie (no fenced aff), restaurant, community gardens, campgrund an ither recreational an sports facilities. Thare is a possibility tae rent bikes at the station.

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns — Sister ceeties
Delft is twinned wi:

## Freemit airtins

*
*Municipal Websteid o Delft
*National Gallery: A View o Delft eter the Explosion o 1654
*Delft University o Technology