Skip to content

Happy to be Traveling

Menu
Menu

Tale of two towers

Posted on May 9, 2026May 9, 2026 by Grubb

In Delft the Oude Kerk (old church) is known for its tower that leans towards the left.

Tilting towards the canal

The Gothic church was built in 1246.  The tower is about 2 meters off vertical due to the unstable ground near the canal. Inside are a number of gravestones laid flat as part of the floor.

Ancestral stubbing stone

Burial inside the church was considered a major honor, so that’s why if one is looking for Vermeer’s grave they just need to tread the pave stones with their shoes off and resort to a sort of barefoot braille. 

The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) has an upright tower at the eastern end of the main square.

Upright tower

Nieuwe Kerk began construction in 1381 and was finished in 1496. It is example of the late Brabantine Gothic style that spread through the Low Countries in the Middle Ages. Using brick combined with natural stone details Nieuwe Kerk balances the grandeur of the French Gothic cathedrals with the practical construction traditions of the Netherlands.

Plenty of grandeur left on the inside

The inside of the church is famous as the burial place of the Dutch Royal family beginning with William the Silent, the leader of the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule and the founding father of the Netherlands.

William the Silent’s mausoleum

It’s hard to get lost in Delft since one of the two towers always seems to be in view.

2 thoughts on “Tale of two towers”

  1. Charlie says:
    May 9, 2026 at 12:51 pm

    I’ll bet you can walk to the top of them on some endless circular stairway (for a few euros) and see some fine views. I never pass up a tower walk.

    Reply
  2. Grubb says:
    May 9, 2026 at 1:16 pm

    The first time we stayed in Delft in 2016 we scampered up to the top of the tower. As I recall it had a nice 360 degree view of a very flat landscape. Nothing as dramatic as a Rocky Mountain gander.

    Reply

Comments welcomeCancel reply

Select Blog Topic

  • Barreling thru Belgium
  • Silently in Japan
  • Découvrir la France
  • Into Argentina and Uruguay we go
  • Road Tripping in New England
  • Sampling Scandinavia
  • Meandering in Morocco
  • Puttering through Portugal
  • San Juan Islands (WA)
  • East Coast: DC, Bethesda, Charlottesville

Recent Posts

  • The Outback in Charlottesville
    by Ella
  • Youch, it’s hot!
    by Ella
  • Global threads of inhumanity
    by Ella
  • Semantics: Slave or enslaved?
    by Ella
  • Mount Pleasant
    by Ella
  • Honey Whiskey caps the day
    by Ella
  • IX
    by Ella
  • Clever Thomas
    by Ella
  • The conflicted splendor of Monticello
    by Ella
  • Marvelous clouds
    by Ella
  • Glass and Mead
    by Ella
  • Elderly mountains
    by Ella
  • West to Virginia
    by Ella
  • About those liquor laws
    by Ella
  • Into Africa
    by Ella
  • Wait…what? No wine at TJs!
    by Ella

Recent Comments

  1. Marc B Sitkin on The Outback in CharlottesvilleJune 12, 2026
  2. Ella on Semantics: Slave or enslaved?June 11, 2026
  3. Henry on Semantics: Slave or enslaved?June 11, 2026
  4. Ella on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 10, 2026
  5. Charlie on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 10, 2026
  6. Ella on Elderly mountainsJune 9, 2026
  7. Ella on Clever ThomasJune 9, 2026
  8. niktis on Elderly mountainsJune 9, 2026
  9. niktis on West to VirginiaJune 9, 2026
  10. Marc B Sitkin on Clever ThomasJune 9, 2026
  11. Ella on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 5, 2026
  12. Logan on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 4, 2026
  13. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  14. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  15. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  16. Grubb Graebner on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  17. Grubb Graebner on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  18. Marc B Sitkin on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  19. Wynette on Last dayMay 22, 2026
  20. Ella on Last dayMay 21, 2026
July 2026
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun    
  • June 2026
  • May 2026
  • April 2026
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
© 2026 Happy to be Traveling | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme

Loading Comments...