History
Delft is more than 750 years old. Its name is derived from 'delven' which means delve or digging. Delft's oldest canal is called The Old Delft de Oude Delft. Delft expanded around it; later on many other city-canals were dug as life lines through the city. These grachten are still the pride of Delft.
In 1246 Delft received city rights, granted by Holland's Duke William II. Delft grew prosperous and new neighbourhoods were added to the city. In 1355 it reached the size it would remain at until the 1900s.
In 1536 a great fire destroyed 2300 houses. The most likely cause was lightning striking the tower of The New Church. About 100 years later, in 1654, an explosion destroyed large parts of town; a warehouse with 36 000 kg of gunpowder blew up. A new warehouse Kruithuis was later built, outside the city perimeter.
In 1842, the Royal Academy for Civil Engineering Koninklijke Academie ter opleiding van Burgerlijke Ingenieurs was founded. Now known as Delft University of Technology TU Delft, it is Delft's biggest employer. About 13,000 students study in Delft.
