Markt (Market Square), Delft (must see)

The name "Delft" derives from the word to dig. The digging relates to a canal across the creek wall of the shallow Gantel river. A manor was built here in the year 1075. It was a good place for an important market town of the middle ages. From its beginnings until today, the vast Market Square has been the center of town.

Bordering the square are the Renaissance Town Hall and the 16th century New Church, the Gothic resting place of the royal families of the Netherlands. Near the New Church is the statue of Hugo Grotius, humanist, jurist, poet and playwright of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Visitors to Delft inexorably wind up on the Market Square. It is essentially the center of the old town. Thursdays are market days. The square is jammed with at least 150 covered stalls, offering flowers, vegetables, tasty cheeses, hand-crafted souvenirs, fresh bread, antiques, books and jewelry.

The square also offers clothing, bicycle parts, and electronics. There are pubs and fresh-air terraces, cafes and restaurants. Shoppers, visitors and locals bargaining and tasting together, hip and thigh. One can browse the kiosks, sample cheeses and try out the stoopwaffles.