About this route

Science in the 17th century
Let’s step back in time, to when the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was experiencing a boom in trade. Delft was home to an office (chamber) of the Dutch East India Company, the first listed company in the world; the paintings of artists such as Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch; and the world of science of figures such as Hugo de Groot and Reinier de Graaf. There was a network of scientists and artists.

The founder of microbiology
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) did his scientific research alongside the everyday work with which he earned his living. Using microscopes he built himself, he was the first to discover bacteria and spermatozoids, among other things. He was the founder of microbiology.

Image: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek by Jan Verkolje, ca. 1680