KLM unveils its 106th Delft house: A symbol of resilience in Leiden
Editor's Note
Some people plan all year for Halloween, while others shiver with anticipation for Valentine's Day. For aviation enthusiasts, though, the first week of October holds a special place on the calendar.
That's because every year on the anniversary of its 1919 founding, on Oct. 7, Dutch airline KLM releases a new edition of its famous miniature Delft houses, which have become one of the most sought-after airline souvenirs by frequent flyers.
KLM began distributing these miniature houses, which are blue-and-white ceramics, back in the 1950s as a way of thanking first-class passengers for their business. The airline filled them with Bols Genever liquor to circumvent rules about limiting the value of gifts airlines could give to passengers. Since the houses were considered beverages rather than souvenirs, their monetary value was not an issue.
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Today, Delft miniature houses are given out to business-class passengers at the end of intercontinental flights. Crew members come by with a trolley or tray with a current selection of the little houses that passengers can choose from. There's even an app to help frequent passengers keep track of which houses they already have, so they don't get a duplicate (though if you do, you can actually exchange them at the KLM Crown Lounge at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
Each house is based on an actual historic building in the Netherlands — around 50 are in Amsterdam itself — or abroad (including houses from the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao). The most recent ones have been the 17th-century "house on three canals" in Amsterdam and the Valkenburg train station in Limburg. There are also limited-edition houses, including Amsterdam's Royal Palace Museum and a Rijksmuseum replica.
This year, we were on hand again as the airline released its latest Delft house, and, like the ones that have come before it, this one has a fascinating history.
The 106th Delft house is a house with ties to the US
The latest KLM Delft house is the Villa Rameau in the Dutch city of Leiden, about a half hour from Amsterdam.
The building was originally constructed as the house of the sexton of the Pieterskerk, or St. Peter's Church, to which it is connected. The current structure was built between 1645 and 1648, though there has been a house on the site since 1594 and the Pieterskerk was constructed in the 1390s.
The house actually became a vacation rental in recent years, but it is currently being transformed into the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, which is scheduled to reopen in this new location Oct. 15. It is across the street from the historic John Robinson house, where one of the leaders of the pilgrims put down roots during the group's time in Leiden.
That's right: If the name Leiden sounds familiar, think back to your high school U.S. history class, where you may have learned that it was the Dutch city where many of the pilgrims who eventually traversed the Atlantic on the Mayflower settled for about a dozen years before undertaking their historic transoceanic journey to North America.
In fact, it was here that the pilgrims celebrated a harvest festival commemorating the 16th-century relief of Leiden during the Eighty Years' War, which is credited with being a precursor to the holiday Americans now know as Thanksgiving. In the 20th century, the Rameau family (from which the house takes its current name) was part of the local resistance to German occupation during World War II.
The Delft house unveiling
The unveiling of the current year's Delft house usually takes place in the building itself or nearby. Given Villa Rameau's small size, this year's reveal was held at the adjacent Pieterskerk and, in addition to KLM CEO Marjan Rintel and other KLM executives, included hundreds of the airline's staff members, customers and other partners in addition to Leiden city officials.
"With the unveiling of Villa Rameau as our 106th Delft Blue house, we're not only celebrating our birthday, but also the importance of connection and resilience," Rintel said in a statement prior to the house reveal. "These values are reflected in the story of the house and the Pilgrims, and they're also at the heart of KLM," she continued.
"Especially in challenging times, this house reminds us how vital it is to stay connected. It's a small symbol with a big story about how we keep innovating and shaping the future of aviation."
Speaking of challenging times, her speech during the unveiling leaned into issues at the forefront in the upcoming Dutch election cycle directly affecting the country's aviation sector, including the possible closure of some airports and new taxes on flights. But she also highlighted the importance of connectedness, ceremonially presenting a miniature of the house to Delta Air Lines Senior Vice President of Alliances and International Perry Cantarutti as a gesture honoring the two airlines' transatlantic partnership as well as Delta's centennial, which the airline is celebrating this year.
Guests were then invited to sit at two long tables in the sanctuary of the Pieterskerk for a sort of contemporary Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey for a main course, accompanied by sides of pumpkin mille-feuille and gnocchi with sage and parmesan.
After the meal, attendees were invited to take part in small-group tours of the ground floor of the new Pilgrim Museum, which re-creates a well-to-do house from the 17th century to give visitors a taste of what life would have been like for the group of English expatriates before they decided to set off for North America.
Villa Rameau is actually the fifth KLM Delft house from Leiden. The others are house No. 93, the Japan Museum SieboldHuis, which was introduced in 2012; house No. 44 from 1973, the Holy Spirit Children's Home, which was a former orphanage; house No. 29 from 1966, the City Carpenters Yard, or Stadstimmerwerf; and house No. 19 from 1962, the Boerhaavehuis along the Rapenburg canal, which is now a museum. Mark Zegeling, author of "Little Kingdom by the Sea," was on hand during the day to take a group of media representatives around the city to see some of the other houses upon which Delft miniatures were based. For the AvGeeks out there who want to learn more, the author is even starting a podcast called "Kingdom by the Sea" dedicated to his research on the collection of houses.
Get your own Delft house
So when will passengers see the latest Delft house on board KLM? The airline has said it will be offered to business-class passengers starting this week and available over the next year, along with various other houses in rotation. If you have an upcoming trip on the airline, be sure to look out for it and ask specifically by number. Otherwise, stop by the KLM Crown Lounge at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and exchange another house for this one.
Your best bet for booking KLM business-class awards is to use miles from the airline's own Flying Blue program. Awards between the U.S. and Europe start at 60,000 miles each way.
But that's a small price to pay to be among the first to get your very own 106th KLM Delft house.
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