De Delftse Donderslag or Delft Thunderclap ignited over 80,000 pounds of gunpowder in the city of Delft. 

A little after 10 am, October 12, 1654, an explosion ripped through the city when the vast stores of gunpowder stored in the city arsenal blew. Over 100 died and thousands were left injured and homeless. The shockwaves were felt 150 km away.

And then it seemed as if the heart of creation had opened up. The air filled with an immense noise that multiplied and magnified into an all-encompassing roar. Five huge successive explosions merged with one another. The earth shuddered and shuddered again. Flames rose and an intense heat fanned out in a searing wave. Walls fell and bits of houses soared upwards along with their contents: beams and floorboards, bricks and roof-tiles, glass and pottery, pans and tools, clothes and children’s toys flew up and outwards; so did curtains, carpets, doors, windows, knives and spoons, loaves of bread, barrels of beer. And so, too, did once-living things, some now barely alive, many dead. Trees; plants; men; women; children; cats; dogs; pet birds. They were whole or in pieces: arms, legs, torsos, heads, rose and fell. The vibrating air was thick with smoke and dust and rubble, and strangely wet as well, for the water in the canals had been blown high.” 
De Delftse Donderslag (Delft Thunderclap) Highly recommend this page by Essential Vermeer 5.0. Fascinating and well written. 

There are no stamps dedicated to the Thunderclap, so we’ll fall back on what Delft is renowned for – Delft Blue ceramics. 

Ceramics from Delft
Issued in 2014; part of Netherland’s Mooi Nederland 2014 set. 
Designed by Rutger Fuchs

The De Delftse Donderslag (Delft Thunderclap) refers to a catastrophic explosion that occurred on the morning of October 12, 1654, in Delft, a city known at the time as Het Secreet van Holland (The Secret of Holland), one of six arsenals in Delft designated by the States-General, the Dutch national assembly. ibid

 

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