Delfshaven
Hand-colored copperplate published in 1634 in Amsterdam in Marcus Zuerius Boxhorn's Toneel orte Beschryvinge der Steden van Hollandt.
Delfshaven was established in the 1400's where the Schie canal from Delft (8 miles / 13 km off to the left, which is north) met the Maas River between Rotterdam to the east (above) and Schiedam to the west (below). Delfshaven, which means Delft's harbor, gave the city's merchants a direct outlet to the world so that they did not have to pay another city's taxes. Without that outlet, Delft would not have had as strong a case to be one of the six VOC (East India Company) cities, especially being so close to Rotterdam, which was also a VOC city. Delft's prosperity was built on raw materials and finished goods (textiles, ceramics) that flowed in and out of Delfshaven.
He also wrote about Delfshaven in the letter of December 25, 1702:
Delfshaven, belonging to our Town, lies about two hours' distant from it; and from here, through a sluice from the River Maas, the water that runs through our town is let in with the flood in summertime, and this water is then as clear as though we had the River Maas itself here.
At the end of his life, Leeuwenhoek and his daughter traveled to Delfshaven to visit the notary Nicholas van der Vaert on June 26, 1719 (Archief DLFS Delfshaven inv. 3876 Act no pg. 117 587).
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