Archaeologists have unearthed what is thought to be the oldest telescope ever found in the Netherlands during excavations near the railway in Delft.

The metal tube, which is around 10 cm long, will have pride of place in the city’s Prinsenhof museum which is being reopened by king Willem-Alexander on May 23.

Experts think the telescope was made in the first half of the 17th century. Delft and Middleburg had an important role in the development of lenses and telescopes in the late 16th and early 17th century.

The oldest telescopes currently in the Netherlands date from the second half of the 17th century and are both in the Christiaan Huygens collection.

More on this (Dutch only)