From the shadow of Vermeer, Museum Prinsenhof Delft presents Pieter de Hooch. Pieter de Hooch is a Delft master painter of the 17th century.
The historical city center of Delft in the Netherlands is a great place to visit. There is plenty to see and do, while you can still feel the small-town vibe that cities like Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam no longer have.
Within the city center of Delft, you can pay a visit to Museum Prinsenhof Delft, located in a building with big historical value for the history of the Netherlands.
The building and garden
The museum is located in a former monastery that also functioned as a temporary court for William of Orange in the sixteenth century. The building is of great significance in the history of the Netherlands as William of Orange was killed inside it on July 10, 1584. You can still see the bullet holes in the wall inside the building. One of the museum’s permanent collections is dedicated to him.
In the garden of the museum, you can see a statue of Willem de Zwijger (“William the Silent”), a Prince of Orange from the 16th century. Standing next to the statue, you have a good view of the museum and the historical buildings surrounding it.
If you walk closer to the museum, you can access the inner courtyard with carved tiles and art in the grass field.
Current exhibition: Pieter de Hooch
Time to enter the museum. From October 11, 2019, until February 16, 2020, you can visit the exhibition: “Pieter de Hooch in Delft: From the shadow of Vermeer”.
Pieter de Hooch was a Dutch master painter of the 17th century. He and Johannes Vermeer produced many paintings in Delft between ca. 1652 and 1660, giving you a peek into the history of Delft.
In his paintings, you can see courtyards and interiors and scenes from everyday life. He is renowned for his use of light; be it from a light spot or a ray of light through the window. The result: the heart of the scene is highlighted and he guides your view to what he wants you to see.
Not everything you see is accurate as Pieter de Hooch sometimes places historical landmarks closer to each other than they are in real life. By doing that he creates the perfect painting for any tourist by placing all must-see places in one frame. See it as the picture you will never be able to take yourself.
Permanent exhibitions
You can also visit the following exhibitions:
- William of Orange
- Delft Masters
- Delft Blue (Delft pottery)
William of Orange
William of Orange was a predecessor of the current king of the Netherlands. You can visit the place of his murder and see the bullet holes in the wall.
The collection upstairs consists of many paintings, mostly portraits of royals that lived during the 16th century. One of the rooms with paintings used to be the bedroom of William of Orange.
Delft Masters
In the Delft Masters exhibition you can see paintings of Delft Masters like Johannes Vermeer, but also learn more about science and innovation that contributed to prosperity in the Netherlands.
Delft Blue (Delft pottery)
The city Delft is probably best known for its Delft Blue porcelain objects. Delft Blue started as an attempt to copy Chinese blue and white porcelain but managed to acquire worldwide fame itself. You can see many top examples of Delft Blue in the museum.
It is also possible to visit a Delft Blue workshop with a tour from GetYourGuide.
How to get to Museum Prinsenhof Delft
Museum Prinsenhof Delft is an 8 minutes’ walk from the Delft train station. Address: Sint Agathaplein, Delft, the Netherlands.
You can easily visit Delft on your own: it takes about 45 minutes by train if you’re coming from Amsterdam. Or you can join a day tour from Amsterdam via GetYourGuide and also visit other interesting cities in the area. With these day tours, you won’t visit Museum Prinsenhof Delft, but you will visit the Royal Delft Blue factory.
Opening hours
The museum is open seven days a week from 9:00 to 17:00, except for December 25th and January 1st.
Tickets
Tickets are 17,50 EUR per person for a visit to the Pieter de Hooch exhibition and the permanent collections. Access is 5 EUR for those with a Museum card, Rotterdam pass or Delft pass.
If you’re planning to visit I recommend buying a ticket for temporary exhibitions in advance, as they only allow a limited number of people into the exhibition area per time slot. There is no such quota for permanent exhibitions.
Other museums in Delft
Science Centre Delft
A modern and high-tech museum run by the Technical University of Delft. This museum is great for kids aged 7 and above as there are many objects on show and workshops to participate in. An educative experience with a big fun aspect to it. Some examples: try to beat the record of most kilometers traveled on the least fuel (based on solar car races) or beat the computer dropping balls on you from above.
Botanical Garden
Next to the science museum, you can find the Botanical Garden. A small garden near the city center of Delft with a few different areas and a small glasshouse.
I think a visit to this garden can be fun in spring or summer, but it is not worth it in winter. There is no area with plants that thrive in the winter season. The glasshouse is alright as I saw a few interesting plants but it is not worth a visit on its own. If you compare it to bigger botanical gardens, there is just not enough to see in this one.
Vermeer museum
You can find this small museum in the city center of Delft. In the museum, you can (only) see reproductions of the paintings of Johannes Vermeer, who was a famous Dutch painter of the 17th century. He and Pieter de Hooch were both known for their use of light in paintings.
Sightseeing in Delft
Historical buildings in the city center
The market square in between City Hall and the New Church is probably the area that attracts the most tourists in the whole city. And it is well deserved.
The buildings have great historical value and are beautiful to see. The view from the terraces of the many cafés at the square is rewarding.
It doesn’t matter which alley you take from the market square at City Hall: you’re surrounded by historical buildings and canals everywhere. But in a very small town way, which makes a visit to Delft more relaxing (though perhaps less exciting) than a visit to Amsterdam.
Eastern Gate
The Eastern Gate was built around 1400 in a Brick Gothic style. This is the only city gate remaining in Delft. You can watch the building from different sides and even walk or cycle under it.
Delftse Hout
Take a break from sightseeing in the city and spend a quiet afternoon surrounded by nature. The lake and surrounding forest in Delftse Hout are ideal for a stroll. And best of all: you can reach the edge of the forest by foot from Delft city center in less than twenty minutes. Just east of the forest you can have a drink with lunch or cake at Café du Midi. I can really recommend this place! Their sandwich lunch and apple pie are really good.
