2 Best Sights in Delft, The Randstad

Presiding over the Markt, this late-Gothic edifice was built between 1483 and 1510. It represents more than a century's worth of Dutch craftsmanship—as though its founders knew it would one day be the last resting place of the man who built the nation, William the Silent, and his descendants of the House of Orange. In 1872 the noted architect P. J. H. Cuypers raised the tower to its current height. There are 22 columns surrounding the ornate black-marble-and-alabaster tomb of William of Orange, which was designed by Hendrick de Keyser and his son. The small dog you see at the prince's feet is rumored to have starved to death after refusing to eat following his owner's death. Throughout the church are paintings, stained-glass windows, and memorabilia associated with the Dutch royal family. There are other mausoleums, most notably that of the lawyer-philosopher Grotius. In summer it is possible to climb the 380-odd steps of the church tower for an unparalleled view that stretches as far as Scheveningen to the north and Rotterdam to the south.

At the very heart of town, the oldest church in Delft (founded in 1200) is the last resting place of Vermeer. Construction went on until the 15th century, which accounts for the combination of architectural styles, and much of the austere interior reflects the latter part of the work. The tower, dating from 1350, started leaning in the Middle Ages and is today 6 feet off-kilter; the tilt to the east is somewhat stabilized by the 3-foot tilt to the north, but still prohibits ascent. At the top is the largest carillon bell in the Netherlands, weighing nearly 20,000 pounds, now used only on state occasions.