Leiden is a market town, whose market has been in existence for more than 900 years. Its university, which welcomed such world famous scholars as Spinoza, Einstein and Niels Bohr, recently had its 430th anniversary. Countless museums bear witness to Leiden’s important role in Holland’s history. And let’s not forget Rembrandt van Rijn, named after the river Rhine which flows through Leiden and in which the Pride of Leyden is moored. At the same time, Leiden is very much a modern town. It is great for shopping and eating out. As it’s quite compact, all features can easily be reached on foot. You can stroll through the historic cobblestoned centre, visit one of the museums or take a drink on one of the floating terraces.
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Among the things to do or visit are:
- Museums
- Hofjes (almshouses built around a courtyard, now mainly inhabited by students; havens of silence in bustling surroundings)
- Walks: The Leiden Loop, In the footsteps of the young Rembrandt, Along Leiden’s almshouses, the Pilgrim Fathers, the Citadel
- Excursions: A day in Leiden, Puzzle Trips, boat trips to the lakes and canals, in the vicinity or as far as Amsterdam
- Rembrandt 400, A yearlong celebration of Leiden’s most famous son. You can visit the Rembrandt Reception Hall, walk the Rembrandt Trail and buy dvd’s, books, chocolates and lots more at the Rembrandt souvenir shop. And then there’s the Rembrandt festival on 14-16 July
- Lakenfeesten, 7-11 July, outdoor festival, comprising the Culinary Festival, Dragonboat Race, Best Market Salesman Tournament, and the Gouden Pet (Golden Cap) festival for best street musician
- Walk around and read some of the 100 wall-poems
- Visit the remains of the Vrouwenkerk, where the Pilgrims worshipped, the Pilgrim Museum and the Pilgrim Archives
- Rent a water bike, rowboat or canoe
Leiden’s museums, for which it is justly famous, are:
- National Museum of Ethnology
- National Museum of Antiquities
- Municipal Museum De Lakenhal (Leiden history and painters)
- Windmill De Valk
- Naturalis (natural history)
- Anatomic Museum
- Boerhaave Museum (medicine and natural sciences)
- Botanical Garden
- Leiden American Pilgrim Museum (Pilgrim Fathers)
- Pilgrim Archives
- Sieboldhouse (private collection of objects from Japan from 19th-century doctor Philipp von Siebold)
- Cartwrights Museum
- Leidse Wevershuis (history of weavers of the treasured ‘laken’ cloth)
- Pieterskerk, burial place of John Robinson, leader of the Pilgrim Fathers
National Museum of Ethnology (Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde)
The museum has an extensive collection of items from around the world that reflect cultural heritage. There are permanent exhibitions on the regions of Africa, Central and Southwest Asia, South and Southeast Asia, China, Indonesia, Japan and Korea, Middle and South America, North America, Oceania and the Arctic Region. In a temporary exhibition, lasting till 27 August 2006, Australia, the Land and its People are highlighted. On Saturdays and Sundays activities for children and adults are offered. On Wednesdays entry to the museum’s permanent exhibitions is free.
For more information visit the English-language website.
National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden)
The National Museum of Antiquities is most famous for its Egyptian mummies, but it has a lot more to offer. Its collection comprises items from four different regions: the Netherlands, Egypt, the Near East and the world of classical antiquity. Among them are imposing statues of Roman emperors, prehistoric golden jewellery, Etruscan bronze masterpieces and, of course, Egyptian mummies and mummy cases.
For more information visit the English-language website.
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Municipal Museum De Lakenhal
In olden days Leiden was a wealthy town, due to the woollen cloth called ‘laken’ (pron: lah-kn) that was produced here. The building which houses Leiden’s municipal museum, was formerly the place where the cloth was inspected. The various stages of the wool production process are illustrated in a monumental series of 16th-century paintings by Isaac van Swanenburgh. And to make it more tangible, items such as a loom, sample books, scissors et cetera are on display.
De Lakenhal depicts events from Leiden’s history, such as the siege by the Spaniards and its relief on 3 October 1574, an event which is celebrated yearly with a three-day long festival. Currently the exhibition Rembrandt & Picasso is on, which shows how Picasso was inspired by the Old Masters. The display contains etchings by Picasso which were inspired by Leiden’s most famous son, Rembrandt.
For more information visit the English-language website
Mill Museum The Falcon (Molen de Valk)
Windmill de Valk is the last remaining mill of nineteen that stood on the town walls. It is a fully functioning grain-grinding mill. You can visit the various areas, such as the grinding loft, the stone loft and the hoisting loft. Wheat ground by the mill is for sale in the mill’s shop.
De Valk was owned by the Van Rhijn family. Although Rembrandt’s parents were also millers, there is no evidence to suggest that they were related.
For more information visit the English-language website
National Museum of Natural History Naturalis
Permanent exhibitions include the Nature Theatre, the Primeval Parade, Earth, Life, the Earth inside, Biotechnology and the Treasure Chamber. The museum’s innovative design allows you to see into researchers’ laboratories from the exhibition galleries.
The current temporary exhibition, Conversations, is a multi-sensory piece which offers visitors a new perspective on familiar objects. It comprises five installations by Los Angeles-based visual artists Paul McCarthy, Michael C. McMillen, Ed Moses and John Outterbridge and composer Jon Hassell. The theme is ‘Nature and the city’.
For more information visit the English-language website
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Rembrandt
In 2006 it was 400 years since Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden, where he spent his formative years. Later he went to Amsterdam, where he reached his greatest fame as a painter. But Leiden is proud of her most famous son and celebrates the anniversary with a host of events. You are invited to join in. Why not do the Rembrandt-walk and visit the places that are connected with Rembrandt, such as the location of the house where he was born and the Latin School which he visited.
Rembrandt was apprenticed to Jacob van Swanenburgh, whose paintings are exhibited at De Lakenhal. Still in Leiden Rembrandt progressed to the stage where he took apprentices himself. In 1631, at the age of 25, Rembrandt took up domicile in Amsterdam, where he reached both the highest and the lowest points of his life. He painted his first group portrait, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp, in 1632. In 1639 he was commissioned to paint what would be his most famous painting, commonly known as The Night Watch, which he completed in 1642. Despite its unofficial name, the painting shows a daylight scene, which only became apparent after it had been cleaned.
Other than his contemporaries, Rembrandt shunned rigid formality in his paintings, but sought natural movement. He is most famous for his use of chiaroscuro – the effect of light and dark.
Rembrandt had five children, only two of whom survived into adulthood. He went bankrupt and was helped to get financially back on his feet by his common-law wife Hendrickje Stoffels. Rembrandt survived not only his wife Saskia, but also his common-law wife Hendrickje and his son Titus. The latter’s death hit him very hard and he died shortly afterward.
Rembrandt produced a total of 600 paintings, 300 etchings and 2,000 drawings. His self-portraits number about 100, most of them in oils. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has the most notable collection of Rembrandt’s work, including the Night Watch and the Jewish Bride. The Hague’s Mauritshuis has many of his self-portraits. Etchings are to be found in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam.
The Leiden Rembrandt festival
In July 2006 Leiden celebrated the 400th birthday of its most famous son, the painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt painted his first pictures here, before moving to Amsterdam. The Rembrandt Festival was very successful and there will very likely be a follow-up. For more information visit the English-language website
Mural poetry
In Leiden the Stichting Tegen-beeld has created a unique poetry project: over 100 poems adorn the outer walls of buildings throughout Leiden. The poems are from all over the world and are written in their original language. Most have a plaque bearing a translation into Dutch and/or English.
For more information visit the English-language website
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Outside Leiden
Festivals
North Sea Jazz Festival, 11-13 July, Rotterdam
Pasar Malam Besar (huge Eurasian festival) 21 May - 1 June, The Hague
Mooi Weer Spelen (‘Nice Weather’ outdoor theatre festival), 6-8 June, Delft. English-language booklet for sale at the Touristic Information Point (TIP) and on the Marketsquare.
Miscellaneous
Alphen aan den Rijn
- Archeon. Theme park showing settlements and crafts from prehistoric times, Roman times and the Middle Ages. Frequent demonstrations of fighting skills and craftsmanship by actors dressed in clothes of the period.
Delft
- Royal Delft Porceleyne Fles. The makers of Delft blue. You can take one of the daily guided tours, design your own plate, or participate in a Delft blue painting workshop
Gouda – home of the Gouda cheese, candles and treacle biscuit (stroopwafel).
- Museum Kaaswaag shows the history and process of cheese making.
- Thursday mornings between 10 en 12.30 a traditional cheese market is held by farmers dressed in traditional costume.
- Kaarserij De Vergulde Kaars makes and sells a great variety of candles. You can make your own to take home (by appointment only).
- World famous stained glass windows of the St Janskerk. Open Mondays-Saturdays 9 am - 5 pm. Audiotour available.
The Hague
- Madurodam. miniature town that gives a bird’s eye view of some of the Netherlands’ most important buildings. See the Houses of Parliament, Palace on the Dam, Schiphol airport, the Delta works which keep the sea out, etc. etc.
- Mauritshuis. collection of some of the Netherlands’ most famous paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen, Brueghel the Elder and others. They are housed in a 17th-century palace, which is one of the finest examples of Dutch classicist architecture.
- Omniversum. IMAX-theatre, where films are projected larger than life. The films currently running are Human Body, Mystery of the Nile, Forces of Nature, Magic of Flight, Dolphins, Greece, and Bears.
- Panorama Mesdag. A cylindrical painting that completely surrounds you. With a length of nearly 120 meters and a height of over 14 meters, it is the biggest painting of the Netherlands. It is also the oldest panorama in the world that is maintained at its original stake.
- Peace Palace. Take a guided tour (by advance booking only) through this monument to Peace, which houses not only the International Court of Justice and the Court of Arbitration, but also one of the most prestigious international law libraries in the world.
Zoeterwoude
- Cheese making farm,. See how cheese is made on the farm, taste the difference between young and mature cheese and buy some to take home to Pride of Leyden. For addresses and phone numbers, see the Dutch-language website