Cycle route the old canals of Delft
Delft
In the 11th century, the Oude Delf was dug as a drainage canal for the Dutch peat area, a crucial step in the reclamation of the land. The name Delf comes from “delven” or “digging”, which perfectly reflects the origin of the city. Along the Oude Delf, a settlement arose in the 12th century, which received city rights in 1246. This marked the beginning of the growth of Delf – and later Delft – as an urban centre. In the centuries that followed, the canals were expanded further. The Nieuwe Delf was dug in the 12th century, about 100 metres to the east, to give the city more waterways. In the 13th century, a defensive canal (the outer canal) was constructed, which later merged with the Oude Delf and became the Delftse Schie. These canals were of great importance to trade and industry. They supported the growth of the cloth industry, where wool was brought in via the canals and the cloth was dyed and finished. The beer industry also depended on the clean canal water, although this quickly became polluted due to cloth production. In the north and south of the Delfts you’ll find lock chambers, used to let ships pass through the city so they could be raised or lowered by means of a kind of lock or hoisting device. This was crucial for the transport of goods. The Zuidkolk was a grateful subject for Vermeer’s “View of Delft”. In the 17th century, the city’s wooden bridges were replaced by stone ones, which improved traffic flow and helped modernise the city. A fun fact about the Oude Delf: near the Nieuwe Kerk there’s a hatch in the canal that once led to a secret passage to the Prinsenhof, the residence of William of Orange, where he was assassinated in 1584. Other canals in Delft are closely linked to the city’s history too. How many of these canals and places can you tick off today? - Zuidergracht - Westsingelgracht - Koornmarkt - Wijnhaven - Buitenwatersloot - Zuideinde - Oostsingel
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Kruithuispad , 2627 AZ Delft | 22.2 KM | |
|
From
57
to
58
|
1381 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Schieweg | 205 M | ||
| Turn left onto Energieweg | 209 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schiekade | 6 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Schiekade | 961 M | ||
| You are now at section 58 | 0 M | ||
|
From
58
to
59
|
1373 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head west on Schieweg | 30 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoofboschpad | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 59 | 0 M | ||
|
From
59
to
84
|
1237 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Vockestaertpad | 519 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sint Maartensrechtpad | 718 M | ||
| You are now at section 84 | 0 M | ||
|
From
84
to
85
|
4368 M | 4.4 KM | |
| Head north on Abtswoude | 988 M | ||
| Turn left onto Landbouwpad | 117 M | ||
| Turn right onto Victoriapad | 134 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kruithuispad | 535 M | ||
| Turn left onto Voorhofdreef | 879 M | ||
| Turn right onto Delflandplein | 116 M | ||
| Keep left onto Delflandplein | 45 M | ||
| Turn right onto Papsouwselaan | 497 M | ||
| Continue straight | 52 M | ||
| Turn left onto Westlandseweg | 651 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Westlandseweg | 227 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Westlandseweg | 127 M | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
|
From
85
to
86
|
1788 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head northwest on Hoornsebrug | 789 M | ||
| Turn right onto Polderpad | 19 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Van der Dussenweg | 179 M | ||
| Turn right onto Colijntunnel | 208 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Colijnlaan | 281 M | ||
| Turn left onto Westplantsoen | 312 M | ||
| You are now at section 86 | 0 M | ||
|
From
86
to
50
|
790 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head east on Ruys de Beerenbrouckstraat | 264 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Ruys de Beerenbrouckplein | 128 M | ||
| Turn left onto Spoorsingel | 26 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kampveldweg | 91 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Wateringsevest | 153 M | ||
| Turn right onto Noordeinde | 30 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Wateringsevest | 98 M | ||
| You are now at section 50 | 0 M | ||
|
From
50
to
51
|
731 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southeast on Laantje achter Wilhelmina | 50 M | ||
| Continue onto Annastraat | 180 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kolk | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Voorstraat | 487 M | ||
| You are now at section 51 | 0 M | ||
|
From
51
to
52
|
387 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Wijnhaven | 131 M | ||
| Turn right onto Peperstraat | 190 M | ||
| Turn left | 43 M | ||
| Continue onto Bolwerkbrug | 23 M | ||
| You are now at section 52 | 0 M | ||
|
From
52
to
1
|
1067 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Houttuinen | 240 M | ||
| Keep left onto Houttuinen | 347 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hooikade | 480 M | ||
| You are now at section 1 | 0 M | ||
|
From
1
to
2
|
1940 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head east on Abtwoudsebrug | 66 M | ||
| Turn left onto Proosdijpad | 262 M | ||
| Continue onto Scheepmakerij | 301 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kanaalweg | 718 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oostpoortbrug | 46 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oostpoort | 106 M | ||
| Turn right onto Catharijnebrug | 13 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oranje Plantage | 4 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Oranje Plantage | 424 M | ||
| You are now at section 2 | 0 M | ||
|
From
2
to
3
|
1923 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Koepoortbrug | 44 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Willem Naghelstraat | 324 M | ||
| Turn right onto Van Lodensteynstraat | 116 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bieslandsekade | 228 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schoepenpad | 37 M | ||
| Turn left onto Korftlaan | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 3 | 0 M | ||
|
From
3
to
4
|
181 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Korftlaan | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Noordeindseweg | 173 M | ||
| You are now at section 4 | 0 M | ||
|
From
4
to
5
|
2113 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head south on Noordeindseweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Delftsestraatweg | 55 M | ||
| Continue onto Zuideindseweg | 862 M | ||
| You are now at section 5 | 0 M | ||
|
From
5
to
57
|
2845 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head southwest on Gildepad (F228) | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Schoemakerstraat | 307 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kruithuispad | 867 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Kruithuispad | 161 M | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M | ||
|
From
57
to
57
|
32 M | 0 KM | |
| Head southwest on Kruithuispad | 32 M | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M |