Delft - Prinsenhof

Opposite the Oude Kerk of Delft, at Agathaplein 1, is a picturesque group of buildings, the Prinsenhof. Built around 1400 as the nunnery of St Agatha, it was secularized after the Reformation and from 1575 was the residence of the Princes of Orange until Prince Maurice of Orange moved the seat of government to The Hague.

The Prinsenhof has tragic associations in the history of the Netherlands, for it was here that William the Silent was assassinated in 1584. The mark of the bullet which killed him can still be seen on the staircase leading to the dining room.