Delfshaven is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, Netherlands, on the right bank of

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

Nieuwe Maas The Nieuwe Maas (; "New Meuse") is a distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It runs from the confluence of the rivers Noord and Lek, and flows west through Rotterd ...

. It was a separate

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

of the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Delft. Delft itself was not located on a major river, so in 1389 a harbour was created about due south of the city, to be able to receive seafaring vessels and avoid

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow toll, ...

s being levied by the neighbouring and competing city of

. This settlement was named Delfshaven ("Port of Delft"). On 1 August 1620 the

Pilgrim fathers The Pilgrims, also known as the Pilgrim Fathers, were the English settlers who came to North America on the ''Mayflower'' and established the Plymouth Colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts, named after the final departure port of Plymo ...

left Delfshaven with the '' Speedwell''. Since then, the town's Oude Kerk has also been known as the Pelgrimskerk, or in English, the "

Pilgrim Fathers Church The Old or Pilgrim Fathers' Church ( nl, Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk Rotterdam-Delfshaven) is a church located in Rotterdam-Delfshaven, in the Netherlands. History The history of the Old or Pilgrim Fathers' Church goes back as far as 1417, when ...

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

and the distillery of jenever were the main sources of income. The

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

had important

wharves A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

and

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

s in Delfshaven, and one of the Dutch West India Company's most famous commanders, Piet Hein, was born here. Delfshaven belonged to the city and municipality of Delft until 1795, when it declared itself to be an independent municipality, under protest from Delft. In 1825 it got city rights. Delfshaven was annexed by Rotterdam in 1886 at its own request. The current borough has about 73,000 inhabitants. Its small historic centre has been carefully preserved. It features modest local

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

s, a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

and various

dining A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearanc ...

and

drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely am ...

facilities. Delfshaven escaped the bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe on 14 May 1940. Later during the Second World War, the area around the ''Visserijplein'' and other parts of the western city of Rotterdam were destroyed by Allied bombing on 31 March 1943.

References

External links

Historisch Delfshaven
YouTube video
Shipyard 'De Delft'
Reconstruction of the ship of the line '' Delft'' (1783–1797). Museum and shipyard are open to visitors. {{coord, 51, 54, 26, N, 4, 26, 54, E, region:NL_type:city, display=title Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of South Holland Boroughs of Rotterdam Redeveloped ports and waterfronts

See also

References

External links