Description of the attraction
Prinsenhof is an art museum in the city of Delft. The name in translation means "prince's court". Prinsenhof was originally a medieval monastery of St. Agatha. The building was built at the very beginning of the 15th century in the late Gothic style. Later. In the second half of the 16th century, it was rebuilt as a city palace.
First of all, Prinsenhof is known for the fact that Prince William of Orange, nicknamed the Silent One, lived here for several years, one of the leaders of the Dutch bourgeois revolution and the leader of the liberation war against the Spanish conquerors. William the Silent was the first independent state holder (governor) of the Netherlands and the founder of the current royal dynasty of Orange-Nassau. Prince William was killed in 1584 by the Spanish mercenary Balthazar Gerard. The killer was hiding in one of the Prinsenhof rooms, which is now called the Death Hall. Bullet marks are still visible on the wall of the hall.
Today the city museum is located in Prinsenhof. Part of its exposition is dedicated to the life of William of Orange, his struggle for the country's independence and the impact that his deeds still have on the life of today's Netherlands.
Another significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to the famous Delft porcelain. It appeared as an attempt to copy the famous Chinese blue and white porcelain vases, but soon the Delft porcelain gained independent fame, and they began to imitate him. For a long time, porcelain figurines and tableware have been the hallmark of the city of Delft.
Also, the museum's exposition tells about the history of the city and its outstanding residents, scientists and artists. The museum has an excellent collection of paintings from the Golden Age of Dutch painting.
