Prinsenhof, Delft

This one-time convent and former royal residence has many interesting old rooms to explore with exhibits of local art, crafts and history. There are also some bizarre medical relics left over from early scientific experiments. Another gruesome sight are the bullet holes in the wall marking the spot where William of Orange was assassinated in 1584.

The art seemed second rate (though the enormous group portraits are interesting to examine in detail). The historical artefacts are worth a look, plus there are some lovely panelled rooms. And it's free with your Museum Card so why not pop in for an hour or so?

Originally a monestary built around 1400, the Prinsenhof was also a royal residence in the 16th century. Currently, it is a municipal museum holding art and historical artifacts. Entrance is 5 euros (adults), but you could get a combined ticket to the Prinsenhof, Nusantara and Lambert van Meerten museums for 6 euros. Look for bullet holes from the assassination of William of Orange on the stairwell. This area also has some nice courtyards and is a great place for a stroll.

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Het Prinsenhof (the prince's court) was first a convent and later the residence of William The Silent. It is now a museum with a permanent exhibition about William the Silent and the Eighty Year's War. The place where William of Orange was murdered by Bathazar Gerards is also shown there. Throughout the year, the museum houses also smaller exhibtions and events. Next to the museum, you will find two other musea: The Lambert van Meerten museum (ceramics) and the Nusantara museum (East asian culture and history).

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Originally a convent founded around 1400, the PRINSENHOF or "Prince's Court, was taken over by the city of Delft in 1572, but the nuns were allowed to stay. The last nun died at the Prinsenhof in 1640.
Before it became the Municipal Museum in 1887, it was the residence of William of Orange.
Admission to the Museum is 5 Euros for Adullts.

Because the building used to be a working palace (and a convent, before that), rooms like the kitchen and main parlour have some original features of interest.

And because it's now an art gallery, the curators have cleverly hung much of the collection according to the original use of the room.

So, for instance, the kitchen is full of paintings about food! There are some good examples here of the still life painting the Dutch excelled at, filling canvasses with realistic lifesize depictions of flowers, game, fruit, vegetables, bread and cheese. Mmmm, time for a snack!

For all Dutch people, Delft should have a very special meaning. It was here that William of Orange lived during the times in which we started to become aware of Dutch independance and the basic rights of people (freedom of speach and religion). William of Orange lived in the "Prinsenhof" (court of princes) and it is now a museum.
Most horrible place here is the bases of the staircase, where our father of the fatherland was murdered by Balthasar Geerards, hired to kill him by the Spanish king Philips II. One says that the bullet went straight through William and scratched a piece from the wall. This damaged wall is still visible (see left of the staircase, the plates on the wall - in the picture). Now-a-days the complex is used as museum, telling the story of Willem van Oranje as well as the complex conflict that started in his time between the Lowlands and the Habsburgian rulers from Spain. For Dutch people this is a MUST visit once in their lifes, for foreign visitors a highly recommended museum to understand the history of the Netherlands and basis of the culture.

Originally the Prinsenhof (= Prince's Court) was a convent for a sister society that bought it's first house here around 1400. Slowly more buildings around the original one were purchased and in 1402 the city granted a wall built to close of the complex and it became the Saint Agatha convent. The complex grew considerably but had to be renovated after the cityfire of 1536.
In the 80 years independance struggle of the Lowlands against Spanish rule, the convent was confiscated by the city of Delft and somewhat later appointed as home for Willem van Oranje (William of Orangë - see next to-do-tip). After his murder the complex fell apart for various use. A reception hall, the "Lakenhal (Cloth hall), guestrooms, the seat of a charitative society and Latin School.

Willem van Oranje, a then still relatively unknown nobelman from Germany that choose Delft as his residence. He lived in the Prince's Court (this name only appeared later as he became "Stadhouder der Nederlanden" = Governor / Viceroy) from 1572 and initiated from here the independance struggle of the Lowlands, though himself always showing the utmost respect towards the Spanish (Habsburgian) king Philip II. He was present quite a lot in his Delft home and heared about the siege being lifted from Leiden in the chapel and saw his daughter Louise-Juliana being born here. He received guests here and found an awful death on the 10th of July 1584. Balthasar Geerards, a hitman hired by the Spanish king, shot William near the staircase. His (for the Dutch) famous last words: God, heb medelijden met dit volk (= have mercy on the people of this country). He became the father of the fatherland and his ancestors are still leading us in the right direction.