The Kalverbos has many secrets. First of all, the name itself. This is due to a miraculous incident that took place during the Eighty Years’ War from 1568-1648. At that time, the Kalverbos was a raised stronghold that was part of the ramparts around our city. A Delft gunman thought he heard a Spanish spy in the bushes and fired his musket in the direction from which the sound came. It turned out that he had shot a calf instead. This silly action earned the residents of Delft the nickname ‘calf shooters’ in mock verses.

A second mystery is the overgrown hill next to the water tower. What’s under this hill? The question is related to the history of the water tower that was built in 1895 to provide residents of Delft with pure dune water. The reservoir of 600m3 in the tower soon was too little due to the growth of Delft around 1900. That is why a round concrete clear water cellar with a volume of 1900 m3 was built in 1918. A pump house was built on the edge of the cellar. The huge hill reveals how impressive this cellar is in terms of size.

Tip
Nowadays you can find a contemporary art museum in the underground cellar. During your visit to Radius you can admire the old structure and audio visual installations.

Sources
Van Der Mast, J. (2021, April 3). Delftse mysteries: Wat zit er onder die begroeide heuvel in het Kalverbos? – indebuurt Delft. Indebuurt Delft. https://indebuurt.nl/delft/genieten-van/mysteries/delftse-mysteries-wat-zit-er-onder-die-begroeide-heuvel-in-het-kalverbos~122300/