The ancient port of Delft is of great historical significance. It was from here that the Pilgrim Fathers left for England in 1620, before sailing on to the New World. It is also the birthplace of such famous figures as Piet Hein (1577), an admiral renowned for his combat with the Spanish in Mexico in 1628, and the painter Kees van Dongen (1877), who made his career in Paris painting women's portraits.