The Markt and Some More Delft History

Q led us into the Markt between leaving the Old Church and before entering the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). We stopped to learn about the square and some more history of the town. Looking toward the Town Hall, Q explained that the look of this market square was defined in 1536 when lightning struck the spire of the New Church. The fire it started destroyed two-thirds of the town. While all the buildings that ring the square have cellars dating from before the fire, the brick buildings we see above ground today were built after 1536.

In the 17th century, considered Delft's Golden Age, this was a thriving market town with an economy stoked by textiles and breweries. Two hundred breweries in the city, in fact, exported 80% of its beer. Then, in the 18th century, the economy collapsed. And without the infrastructure of a trading city--no river, local harbor, or major roads--the sleeping medieval town was left behind, just waiting to be reawakened.

The square has never really been renovated, perhaps because it must always be ready, on a day's notice, to host a royal funeral. As we had just learned, William I of Orange, leader of the Dutch revolt against Spain, was assassinated here in 1584. Under normal circumstances, he would have been buried in his family's hometown of Breda, but it was occupied by the Spanish. So William was laid to rest in Delft, and to this day, the House of Orange--the Dutch royal family--buries its nobility in the New Church (where we were headed next).

Part of Delft's economic heritage is in printing. The first Dutch Bible was printed here in 1477 in one of the buildings on the square; it is marked by a Bible on the building's corner. Five centuries later, in 1977, a reprint was published which is displayed in the Old Church (below).

Rebuilt in 1620 in the Renaissance style after the fire, the Town Hall is a law court, with Lady Justice and her scales prominently positioned on the façade. Of the 17 states in the Spanish Netherlands, seven seceded and created the Dutch Republic--the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Holland was one of these; and since it contained Amsterdam, it drove 85% of the country's economy. Her coat of arms is a red lion and is displayed on Delft's Town Hall.