Delfshaven

I went to Rotterdam yesterday with my parents. It is sort of half way between Brussels and where my parents live. In the morning we went to Delfshaven, which is one of the only historical parts of the city. The rest of Rotterdam was bombed during the second World War in 1940.

Delfshaven ("Port of Delft") used to be a seperate city around the port of the city of Delft. In July 1620 the Pilgrim fathers left Delfshaven for the USA. Since then, the town's Oude Kerk (left) has been known as the Pelgrimskerk, or in English, the "Pilgrim Fathers Church".

Fishing, shipbuilding and the distillery of jenever were the main sources of income. The Dutch East India Company had important wharfs and warehouses in Delfshaven, and one of the Dutch West India Company's most famous commanders, Piet Hein, was born here.