Borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands
Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Delfshaven is a district of Rotterdam. The former city, the name of which literally means harbour of Delft, was founded in 1389 as a harbour settlement of Delft, which through a canal was supposed to secure Delft's access to the river Meuse (Dutch: Maas). The former city is best known as the hometown of controversial colonial hero Piet Heijn, but is also somewhat notable for its production of gin.
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Dutch Pinball Museum
This monumental building was built in 1825 and had since undergone a major restoration. It is a former grain warehouse that was repurposed in 1861 as a distillery. It housed a dependency of the Rotterdam Museum from 1975 to 2012. It nowadays houses the Dutch Pinball Museum.
Oude- of Pelgrimvaarderskerk
Founded in 1417 as a chapel. The 'Old Church' has been a Protestant church since 1574, and thanks its main name to the Pilgrim Fathers, English settlers banished to Leiden. Many of them stayed there, but some chose to embark for the new world on the Mayflower, establishing the Plymouth Colony. Before embarking for the new world, they had their last sermon in this church.
This 1870 sandstone statue is, and always has been controversial. It commemorates Piet Heyn, a commandant of the Dutch West India Company, eventually working his way up to lieutenant-admiral of Holland and West-Frisia, housed in Hoorn. In 1628, during the Dutch war against Spanish overlordship, Heyn managed to capture the Spanish silver fleet, taking a massive sum of money from the Spanish treasury into that of the Dutch Republic. The statue and Heyn as a person are controversial since this money has subsequently partially been invested in the slave trade. Though Heyn himself would not have had a decisive say in this matter, the statue has been covered with slurs against the Dutch colonial past in recent times.
Museum Rotterdam '40 -'45 NOW
The small 'War and Resistance Museum' paints life in Rotterdam and the Netherlands during the Second World War. Attention is also given to the military developments of the time and the destruction of the city of Rotterdam. Lectures and evenings with documentaries are often on the programme.
De Distilleerketel ('the Distillers' Kettle) was rebuilt in 1986 after the original mill was destroyed in World War II. The original mill from 1727 was meant for grinding malt for the numerous distilleries in Delfshaven. Now it works as a mill for grinding wheat on a commercial basis.
Follow the construction of the 18th-century ship-of-the-line 'De Delft' from close-by. 'De Delft' will become one of the largest ship replica's in the world.
The cathedral of Rotterdam (Roman Catholic) is a somewhat heavy neo romanesque creation from 1907. The interior is quite well proportioned and atmospheric. Sunday mass is at 11:00 (sometimes with a good choir). Besides assisting at the normally well attended mass you can walk in before or after to have a look inside.
Het Kasteel
Sparta, being one of the three clubs to have a somewhat regular foothold in the Dutch Eredivisie, find their origin in the neighbourhood of Spangen, and have their stadium there to this day. Sparta has been in the Eredivisie since 2020, though they've held a position in the Eredeivisie for all but ten years between 1957 and 2021. The club's stadium, nicknamed "Het Kasteel" (The Castle) gets its name from the iconic entrance on the side of the Spartastraat, which resembles a castle.
Event venue hosting music, theatre, stand-up comedy, art and film.
Markets itself as a "maker space and house for talent development". The Batavierhuis is a society of sorts focussed primarily on music, but also other art forms, and hosts concerts and other events (albeit often Dutch-spoken), both from its members, known as "Batavieren", as well as external artists, in its own building. Tickets can be bought from their website.
Event venue in the east of Delfshaven, mostly hosting music performances, also hosting the Rotterdam Flamenco Festival.
Kapsalon is a wonderful variation of Shoarma that was invented at this restaurant in Rotterdam. It has now become famous all over the Netherlands. A delicious, greasy meal!
The Beren Boot is a restaurant aboard a ship, as the name might suggest. Depending on the season, the boat either departs the harbour once per day (twice on weekends, Sundays only between May and September) to offer a tour of the harbour during your dinner, taking 2½ hours in total. The times depend on the season, so check the website or call before planning your visit. Additionally, there are brunch-cruises every second Sunday of the month.
Claims the title of smallest pub of Delfshaven, giving it a wonderful small-scale atmosphere.
Located in a 100-year old former fruit warehouse, this craft beer brewery is the second largest independent brewery in the Netherlands. You can also book a tour, most are in Dutch but one in English is offered on Thursday.
This authentic place is in Delfshaven. Breakfast eggs from their own chicken, it is claimed.
Large mall along the Vierhavensstraat with mostly larger chain stores including supermarkets, drug store, bedding stores, pet shops, and so forth. The entire roof of the Parkboulevard is a public park, with a length of around 1200 metres and one of the largest rooftop parks in Europe.
By public transit
Delfshaven is served by the Rotterdam metro and tram network.
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