Delfshaven

Delfshaven came into existence in 1389, when the inhabitants of Delft sought a direct river connection with the Maas. Thus, the Delfshavense Schie canal was excavated.

Delfshaven thrived along the banks of the Delfshavense Schie. It was, so to speak, a colony of Delft. A harbor and a shipyard were constructed in the area where Delfshaven now stands. These were the initial structures of Delfshaven.

The profits from herring and whale fishing were so substantial that the region acquired the status of a village around 1550. At that time, there were approximately 1000 inhabitants.

From 1700 onwards, the gin industry emerged. Five years later, Delfshaven became an independent municipality. In 1825, it was rewarded with city rights, and in 1886, the city merged with the city of Rotterdam.

This port was the departure point for the Puritan Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620. White Americans regard this journey as the beginning of their history.

It is also the birthplace of the Dutch naval hero Piet Heyn, who captured the Spanish Silver Fleet in the Caribbean in 1628. Its historic buildings and picturesque docks transport us back to the Golden Age of the Netherlands.

It remained unscathed during the bombardment of World War II, and the harbor can provide us with a glimpse of what Rotterdam was like before the war.

Today, Delfshaven is an open-air museum, featuring its old distillery mill De Distelleerketel, its ancient merchant ships anchored at the docks, the Pelgrimsvaderskerk (Church of the Pilgrim Fathers), the Pablo Rueda Museum, and the De Pelgrim brewery where they brew their own beer. Additionally, there is a distillery from 1860, De Dubbelde Palmboom.

Near the harbor, you will also find the Rotterdam Museum 40-45 NOW.

Delfshaven boasts several bars and restaurants, making it a vibrant area during the summer.

Discover other docks in Rotterdam