Leiden (; in English and

archaic Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently: *List of archaeological periods **Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...

Dutch also Leyden) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and municipality in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with its suburbs Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude with 206,647 inhabitants. The Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) further includes Katwijk in the agglomeration which makes the total population of the Leiden urban agglomeration 270,879, and in the larger Leiden urban area also Teylingen, Noordwijk, and Noordwijkerhout are included with in total 348,868 inhabitants. Leiden is located on the Oude Rijn, at a distance of some from The Hague to its south and some from Amsterdam to its north. The recreational area of the Kaag Lakes ( Kagerplassen) lies just to the northeast of Leiden. A university city since 1575, Leiden has been one of Europe's most prominent scientific centres for more than four centuries. Leiden is a typical university city, university buildings are scattered throughout the city and the many students from all over the world give the city a bustling, vivid and international atmosphere. Many important scientific discoveries have been made here, giving rise to Leiden's motto: ‘City of Discoveries’. The city houses

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

, the oldest university of the Netherlands, and Leiden University Medical Center. Leiden University is one of Europe's top universities, with thirteen Nobel Prize winners. It is a member of the League of European Research Universities and positioned highly in all international academic rankings. It is twinned with Oxford, the location of the United Kingdom's oldest university. Leiden University and Leiden University of Applied Sciences (Leidse Hogeschool) together have around 35,000 students. Modern scientific medical research and teaching started in the early 18th century in Leiden with Boerhaave. Leiden is a city with a rich cultural heritage, not only in science, but also in the arts. One of the world's most famous painters,

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

, was born and educated in Leiden. Other famous Leiden painters include

Lucas van Leyden Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), also named either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very ac ...

, Jan van Goyen and Jan Steen.

History

Leiden was formed on an artificial hill (today called the Burcht van Leiden) at the confluence of the rivers Oude and Nieuwe Rijn (Old and New Rhine). In the oldest reference to this, from circa 860, the settlement was called ''Leithon''. The name is said to be from Germanic *leitha- "canal" in

dative In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...

pluralis, thus meaning "at the canals". "Canal" is actually not the completely proper word. A leitha (later "lede") was a human-modified natural river, partly natural, partly artificial. Leiden has in the past erroneously been associated with the Roman outpost Lugdunum Batavorum. This particular ''castellum'' was thought to be located at the Burcht of Leiden, and the city's name was thought to be derived from the Latin name Lugdunum. However the castellum was in fact closer to the town of Katwijk, whereas the Roman settlement near modern-day Leiden was called Matilo. Leiden-Windmill-DeValk

The landlord of Leiden, situated in a stronghold on the hill (motte), was initially subject to the Bishop of Utrecht but around 1100 the burgraves became subject to the county of Holland. This county got its name in 1101 from a domain near the stronghold: ''Holtland'' or ''Holland''. Leiden was sacked in 1047 by Emperor Henry III. Early 13th century, Ada, Countess of Holland took refuge here when she was fighting in a civil war against her uncle, William I, Count of Holland. He besieged the stronghold and captured Ada. Leiden received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in 1266. In 1389, its population had grown to about 4,000 persons.

Siege of 1420

In 1420, during the Hook and Cod wars, Duke John III of Bavaria along with his army marched from

Gouda Gouda may refer to: * Gouda, South Holland, a city in the Netherlands ** Gouda (pottery), style of pottery manufactured in Gouda ** Gouda cheese, type of cheese originally made in and around Gouda ** Gouda railway station * Gouda, Western Cape, a s ...

in the direction of Leiden in order to conquer the city since Leiden did not pay the new

Count of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. House of Holland The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...

Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, his niece and only daughter of Count William VI of Holland. Burgrave Filips of Wassenaar and the other local noblemen of the Hook faction assumed that the duke would besiege Leiden first and send small units out to conquer the surrounding citadels. But John of Bavaria chose to attack the citadels first. He rolled the cannons along with his army but one which was too heavy went by ship. By firing at the walls and gates with iron balls the citadels fell one by one. Within a week John of Bavaria conquered the castles of Poelgeest, Ter Does, Hoichmade, de Zijl, ter Waerd, Warmond and de Paddenpoel. On 24 June the army appeared before the walls of Leiden. On 17 August 1420, after a two-month siege the city surrendered to John of Bavaria. The burgrave Filips of Wassenaar was stripped of his offices and rights and lived out his last years in captivity.

16th to 18th centuries

Leiden, de Zijlpoort RM25667 foto7 2017-06-11 12

Leiden flourished in the 16th and 17th century. At the close of the 15th century the weaving establishments (mainly broadcloth) of Leiden were very important. In the same period, Leiden developed an important printing and publishing industry. The influential printers

and Otto van Veen lived here, and so did Christoffel Plantijn. One of Christoffel's pupils was Lodewijk Elzevir (1547–1617), who established the largest bookshop and printing works in Leiden, a business continued by his descendants through 1712 and the name subsequently adopted (in a variant spelling) by contemporary publisher Elsevier. In 1572, the city sided with the

Dutch revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

against Spanish rule and played an important role in the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. Besieged from May until October 1574 by the Spanish, Leiden was relieved by the cutting of the dikes, thus enabling ships to carry provisions to the inhabitants of the flooded town. As a reward for the heroic defence of the previous year, the University of Leiden was founded by William I of Orange in 1575. Yearly on 3 October, the end of the siege is still celebrated in Leiden. Tradition tells that the citizens were offered the choice between a university and a certain exemption from taxes and chose the university. The siege is notable also for being the first instance in Europe of the issuance of paper money, with paper taken from prayer books being stamped using coin dies when silver ran out. Leiden is also known as the place where the Pilgrims (as well as some of the first settlers of

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

) lived, they operated a printing press for a time in the early 17th century before their departure to Massachusetts and

in the New World. After the expulsion of the Spaniards, Leiden cloth, Leiden baize and Leiden

camlet Camlet, also commonly known as camlot, camblet, or chamlet, is a woven fabric that might have originally been made of camel or goat's hair, later chiefly of goat's hair and silk, or of wool and cotton. The original form of this cloth was very ...

became familiar terms. In the 17th century, Leiden prospered, in part because of the impetus to the textile industry by refugees from Flanders. While the city had lost about a third of its 15,000 citizens during the siege of 1574, it quickly recovered to 45,000 inhabitants in 1622, and may have come near to 70,000 circa 1670. During the Dutch Golden Era, Leiden was the second largest city of Holland, after Amsterdam. Particularly due to the work by Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), it played a crucial role in the establishment of modern chemistry and medicine. From the late 17th century onwards Leiden slumped, mainly due to the decline of the cloth industries. In the beginning of the 19th century the baize manufacture was altogether given up, although industry remained central to Leiden economy. This decline is painted vividly by the fall in population. The population of Leiden had sunk to 30,000 between 1796 and 1811, and in 1904 was 56,044. From the 17th to the early 19th century, Leiden was the publishing place of one of the most important contemporary journals, ''

Nouvelles Extraordinaires de Divers Endroits ''Nouvelles Extraordinaires de Divers Endroits'' (English: "Extraordinary News from Various Places") or ''Gazette de Leyde'' (Gazette of Leiden) was the most important newspaper of record of the international European newspapers of the late 17th ...

'', known also as ''Gazette de Leyde''.

19th and 20th centuries

On 12 January 1807, a catastrophe struck the city when a boat loaded with of gunpowder blew up in the middle of Leiden. 151 people were killed, over 2,000 were injured and some 220 homes were destroyed. King Louis Bonaparte personally visited the city to provide assistance to the victims. Although located in the centre of the city, the area destroyed remained empty for many years. In 1886 the space was turned into a public park, the Van der Werff park. In 1842, the railroad from Leiden to

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

was inaugurated and one year later the railway to The Hague (Den Haag) was completed, resulting in some social and economic improvement. Perhaps the most important piece of Dutch history contributed by Leiden was the Constitution of the Netherlands. Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872) wrote the Dutch Constitution in April 1848 in his house at Garenmarkt 9 in Leiden. Leiden's reputation as the "city of books" continued through the 19th century with the establishment of publishing dynasties by

Evert Jan Brill Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...

and Albertus Willem Sijthoff. Sijthoff, who rose to prominence in the trade of translated books, wrote a letter in 1899 to Queen Wilhelmina regarding his opposition to becoming a signatory to the

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, was an international assembly held in 1886 in the Swiss city of Bern by ten European countries with the goal to agree on a set of l ...

. He felt that international copyright restrictions would stifle the Dutch publishing industry. Leiden Annexaties

Leiden began to expand beyond its 17th-century moats around 1896 and the number of citizens surpassed 50,000 in 1900. After 1920, new industries were established in the city, such as the

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

and metal industries. During World War II, Leiden was hit hard by Allied bombardments. The areas surrounding the railway station and Marewijk were almost completely destroyed. The University of Leiden is famous for its many discoveries including

Snell's law Snell's law (also known as Snell–Descartes law and ibn-Sahl law and the law of refraction) is a formula used to describe the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction, when referring to light or other waves passing through ...

(by Willebrord Snellius) and the famous Leyden jar, a capacitor made from a glass jar, invented in Leiden by Pieter van Musschenbroek in 1746. Another development was in cryogenics: Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1913 Nobel prize winner in physics) liquefied helium for the first time (1908) and later managed to reach a temperature of less than one degree above the absolute minimum. Albert Einstein also spent some time at Leiden University during his early to middle career.

Leiden today

The city's biggest and most popular annual festival is celebrated on 3 October and is called simply

3 Oktober 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many socie ...

. The people of Leiden celebrate the end of the Spanish siege of 1574. It typically takes place over the course of two to three days and includes parades, a hutspot feast, historical reenactments, a funfair and other events. Since 2006, the city has also hosted the annual Leiden International Film Festival. Leiden has important functions as a shopping and trade centre for communities around the city. The city also houses the Eurotransplant, the international organization responsible for the mediation and allocation of organ donation procedures in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia. Leiden also houses the headquarters of Airbus, a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide. The group includes Airbus, the leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft worldwide.

Rivers, canals and parks

Canal near Leiden, Netherlands - May 1978

The two branches of the Oude Rijn, which enter Leiden on the east, unite in the centre of the city. The city is further intersected by numerous small canals with tree-bordered quays. On the west side of the city, the Hortus Botanicus and other gardens extend along the old '' Singel'', or outer canal. The Leidse Hout park, which contains a small deer park, lies on the northwest border with Oegstgeest. The ''Van der Werf Park'' is named after the mayor , who defended the city against the Spaniards in 1574. The city was beleaguered for months and many died from famine. The open space for the park was formed by the accidental explosion of a ship loaded with gunpowder in 1807, which destroyed hundreds of houses, including that of the Elsevier family of printers.

Buildings of interest

Because of the economic decline from the end of the 17th until the middle of the 19th century, much of the 16th- and 17th-century city centre is still intact. It is the second largest 17th-century town centre in the Netherlands, the largest being Amsterdam's city centre. A hundred buildings in the centre are decorated with large murals of poetry, part of a wall poem project active from 1992, and still ongoing. File:William Shakespeare - Sonnet XXX - Rapenburg 30, Leiden.JPG, Shakespeare
on a Leiden wall File:Langston Hughes - Danse Africaine - Nieuwe Rijn 46, Leiden.JPG,

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

on a Leiden wall File:EecummingsLeidenWallPoem.jpg,

e.e. cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

File:William Waring Cuney - Charles Parker, 1920-1955 - Langegracht 72, Leiden.JPG,

Waring Cuney William Waring Cuney (May 6, 1906 – June 30, 1976) was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his poem "No Images," which has been widely anthologized. Biography William Waring Cuney was one of a pair of twins born on May 6 ...

Fortifications

At the strategically important junction of the two arms of the Oude Rijn stands the old

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''de Burcht'', a circular tower built on an earthen mound. The mound probably was a refuge against high water before a small wooden fortress was built on top of it in the 11th century. The citadel is a so-called

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

castle. Of Leiden's old

city gate A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway. Uses City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...

s only two are left, the '' Zijlpoort'' and the ''Morspoort'', both dating from the end of the 17th century. Apart from one small watch tower on the Singel nothing is left of the town's city walls. Another former fortification is the ''Gravensteen''. Built as a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in the 13th century it has since served as house, library and prison. Presently it is one of the university's buildings.

Churches

The chief of Leiden's numerous churches are the Hooglandse Kerk (or the church of St Pancras, built in the 15th century and containing a monument to Pieter Adriaansz. van der Werff) and the '' Pieterskerk'' (church of

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

(1315)) with monuments to Scaliger, Boerhaave and other famous scholars. From a historical perspective the

Marekerk The Marekerk is a Protestant church in Leiden, located at the Lange Mare and the Oude Vest canal. The church can be easily seen from the Oude Vest and the Burcht van Leiden by its round dome. History The church was designed by the city architec ...

is interesting too.

Arent van 's Gravesande Arent can refer to *Arent (given name) *Arent (surname) *Arent Fox Arent Fox Schiff LLP (formerly Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn) is a national white shoe law firm and lobbying firm. It represents global corporations, local and national po ...

designed that church in 1639. Other fine examples of his work in Leiden are in the '' Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal'' (the municipal museum of fine arts), and the ''

Bibliotheca Thysiana The Bibliotheca Thysiana was erected in 1655 to house the book collection of the lawyer Johannes Thysius (1621–1653). Upon his early death, he left a legacy of 20,000 guilders for the building of a public library ("tot publycque dienst der studi ...

''. The growing city needed another church and the

was the first Protestant church to be built in Leiden (and in Holland) after the Reformation. It is an example of Dutch Classicism. In the drawings by Van 's Gravesande the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

is the centrepiece of the church. The pulpit is modelled after the one in the '' Nieuwe Kerk'' at Haarlem (designed by Jacob van Campen). The building was first used in 1650, and is still in use. The

Heilige Lodewijkkerk The Heilige Lodewijkkerk, also called the St. Louis Church, is a Roman Catholic church at the Steenschuur in Leiden. History The first church on this place was built in 1477 and was a chapel, the St. James Chapel, belonging to a guesthouse for ...

is first catholic church in Leiden that was built after the Reformation. This church was given to the Catholics after the gunpowder explosion in 1807, which killed 150 inhabitants and destroyed a large part of the city centre. The 'Waalse Kerk' (Breestraat 63) was originally part of the Katharina Hospital. In 1584 it became the church of Protestant refugees from the Southern Netherlands (Brugge) and France. Later churches in the centre include the

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

in expressionistic style.

University buildings

The city centre contains many buildings that are in use by the University of Leiden. The ''Academy Building'' is housed in a former 16th-century convent. Among the institutions connected with the university are the national institution for East Indian languages, ethnology and geography; the botanical gardens, founded in 1587; the

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

(1860); the museum of antiquities ('' Rijksmuseum van Oudheden''); and the

ethnographical Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subjec ...

museum, of which P.F. von Siebold's Japanese collection was the nucleus (''

Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde The National Museum of Ethnology (Museum Volkenkunde), is an ethnographic museum in the Netherlands located in the university city of Leiden. As of 2014, the museum, along with the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, ...

''). This collection is now housed in a separate museum called the ''

SieboldHuis Japan Museum SieboldHuis (Siebold House) is a museum located at the in Leiden, Netherlands. It displays items that were collected by Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) between 1823 and 1829 during his stay at Dejima, the Dutch trade colony n ...

''. The Bibliotheca Thysiana occupies an old Renaissance building of the year 1655. It is especially rich in legal works and vernacular chronicles. Noteworthy are also the many special collections at Leiden University Library among which those of the

Society of Dutch Literature The Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde (English "Society of Dutch Literature", often abbreviated ''MNL'') is a prestigious and exclusive literary society. The MNL was established in Leiden in 1766 and is still located there. At the moment, ...

(1766) and the collection of casts and engravings. In recent years the university has built the

Leiden Bio Science Park The Leiden Bio Science park (LBSP) is the largest life sciences cluster in the Netherlands and ranks in the top five of the most successful science parks in Europe. It is part of Leiden and Oegstgeest and focuses on companies and universities ...

at the city's outskirts to accommodate the Science departments. ErfgoedLeiden LEI001013140 Gezicht op de Waag aan de Aalmarkt

Other buildings

*Stadhuis (City Hall), a 16th-century building that was badly damaged by a fire in 1929 but has its Renaissance façade designed by Lieven de Key still standing * Gemeenlandshuis van Rijnland (1596, restored in 1878) *

De Waag The Waag ("weigh house") is a 15th-century building on Nieuwmarkt square in Amsterdam. It was originally a city gate and part of the walls of Amsterdam. Later it served as a guildhall, museum, fire station and anatomical theatre, among other thing ...

( weigh house in Dutch), built by Pieter Post *Gravensteen – a former 15th century jail at the ''Gerecht'' square (former court-house) *

Stedelijk Gymnasium The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

(aka Latijnse School) – the old gymnasium (1599) *Stadstimmerwerf – the city carpenter's yard and wharf (1612), both built by Lieven de Key (c. 1560–1627) * Heilige Geest Weeshuis (a former ''Holy Spirit Orphanage'') – a complex of 16th century buildings. * Molen de Valk – a corn-grinding windmill, now home to a museum (1743) *Pesthuis, which was built during 1657–1661 at that time just outside the city for curing patients suffering the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

. However, after it was built the feared disease did not occur in the Netherlands anymore so it was never used for its original purpose. The building has been used as a military hospital, prison, national asylum and army museum. Until 2019, it served as the entrance of

Naturalis Naturalis Biodiversity Center ( nl, Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit Naturalis) is a national museum of natural history and a research center on biodiversity in Leiden, Netherlands. It was named the European Museum of the Year 2021. Alth ...

. This museum, one of the largest natural history museums in the world, was recently renovated and is a building of interest in itself.

Culture

Museums

* Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) * Museum Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology) * Naturalis Biodiversity Center * Rijksmuseum Boerhaave * Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal * Japan Museum Sieboldhuis *

Museum de Valk De Valk is a tower mill and museum in Leiden, Netherlands. The current tower mill is the third mill built at this location. In 1611 the post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole ...

Leiden American Pilgrim Museum The Leiden American Pilgrim Museum is a small museum in the Dutch city of Leiden dedicated to the Pilgrim Fathers (or simply Pilgrims). These Separatists or English Dissenters were religious refugees who had fled England to Amsterdam in 1608 and ...

* Corpus (in Oegstgeest, but almost directly next to the border with Leiden) * Hortus Botanicus Leiden * Museum Het Leids Weverhuis * Young Rembrandt Studio *Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken * Anatomisch Museum Leiden

Public transport

Leiden, ingang station Leiden Centraal foto10 2017-06-11 09

Bus transport in Leiden is provided by Arriva. Railway stations within the municipality of Leiden are: * * *

Notable inhabitants

The following is a selection of important ''Leidenaren'' throughout history: Willem Thibaut - Willem van Henegouwen - Lakenhal

Public officials and scholars

* William II, Count of Holland (1228–1256)

1234-1256 * Floris V, Count of Holland (1254–1296)

and Zeeland 1256–1296. *

John of Leiden John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

(1509–1536) leader of the

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

Münster Rebellion Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

* William Brewster (1568–1644) pilgrim, Mayflower passenger in 1620 * Daniel Heinsius (1580–1655) a famous scholar of the

Dutch Renaissance The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders). Culture in the Low ...

* William Bradford (1590–1657) pilgrim, leader of the American Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts * Franciscus Junius (1591–1677) a pioneer of Germanic philology *

Isaac Elzevir Isaac Elzevir (11 March 1596, in Leiden – 8 October 1651, in Cologne), in Dutch Isaac Elsevier, was a Dutch publisher and printer who began printing with one of the earliest printing press in the city of Leyden in the year 1617. Although the ...

(1596–1651) a Dutch publisher and printer, co-founder of House of Elzevir *

Love Brewster Elder Love Brewster () was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the ''Mayflower'' reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Mas ...

(1611–1650/1) pilgrim and founder of Bridgewater, Massachusetts * Isaac Vossius (1618–1689) a scholar, manuscript collector and Canon at Windsor Castle * Nicolaas Heinsius the Elder (1620–1681) a Dutch classical scholar and poet * Johann Bachstrom (1688–1742) writer, scientist and Lutheran theologian * Gottfried, Freiherr van Swieten (1733-1803) diplomat, friend and patron of several great composers *

Jan Bake Jan Bake (1 September 1787 – 26 March 1864) was a Dutch philologist and critic. He was born in Leiden, and from 1817 to 1854 he was professor of Greek and Roman literature at the university. His principal works are:- *''Posidonii Rhodii Re ...

(1787–1864) a Dutch philologist and critic * Reinhart Dozy (1820–1883) a Dutch scholar of Arabic of Huguenot origin * Cornelis Tiele (1830–1902) a Dutch theologian and scholar *

J. P. B. de Josselin de Jong Jan Petrus Benjamin de Josselin de Jong (13 March 1886 – 15 November 1964) was a founding father of modern Dutch anthropology and of structural anthropology at Leiden University. Biography In his early career, he was a museum curator. His area ...

(1886–1964) a museum curator, founding father of modern Dutch anthropology and

structural anthropology Structural anthropology is a school of sociocultural anthropology based on Claude Lévi-Strauss' 1949 idea that immutable deep structures exist in all cultures, and consequently, that all cultural practices have homologous counterparts in other ...

and an academic *

Hans de Koster Henri Johan "Hans" de Koster (5 November 1914 – 24 November 1992) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessman. De Koster attended a Gymnasium in Leiden from May 1927 until June 19 ...

(1914–1992) a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman *twins

Alfred Kossmann Alfred Kossmann (31 January 1922 – 27 June 1998) was a Dutch poet and prose writer. Kossmann and his brother Ernst Kossmann, a distinguished Dutch historian, were twins. Biography Born in Leiden, Kossmann was the son of the erudite libraria ...

(1922–1998) a poet and prose writer & Ernst Kossmann (1922–2003) an historian. * Leendert Ginjaar (1928–2003) a Dutch politician and chemist * Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 1937) a retired Dutch politician and diplomat * Ankie Broekers-Knol (born 1946) a Dutch politician, jurist and Minister *

Carel Stolker Carel Jan Jozef Marie Stolker (23 June 1954) is a Dutch academic administrator and the former rector magnificus and president of Leiden University from February 2013 to February 2021. He was the successor of Paul F. van der Heijden.rector magnificus and president of

from 2013 until 2021 * Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (born 1966) the wife of

Prince Constantijn Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (''Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin''; born 11 October 1969) is the third and youngest son of the former Dutch queen, Beatrix, and her husband, Claus von Amsberg, and is the younger brother of the reig ...

* Kajsa Ollongren (born 1967) a Dutch-Swedish politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands *

Julius Terpstra Julius Huibert Terpstra (born 21 February 1989) is a Dutch politician, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the years 2020–21. He is a member of the political party Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He had served as in the ...

(born 1989) a Dutch politician

The arts

Cornelis Engebrechtsz. Cornelis Engebrechtsz., also known as Cornelis Engelbrechtsz. (c.1462–1527) was an early Dutch painter. He was born and died in Leiden, and is considered the first important painter from that city.

(ca.1462–1527) an early Dutch painter *

(1494–1533) a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut * Jan van Goyen (1596–1656) a Dutch landscape painter * Justus van Egmont (1601–1674) a painter and tapestry designer * Rembrandt van Rijn (1606– 1669) a Dutch draughtsman, painter and printmaker * Willem van de Velde the Elder (1610/11–1693) a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

seascape painter * Frans Post (1612–1680) a

painter * Gerard Dou (1613–1675) a

painter * Jan Steen (ca.1626–1679) a

genre painter * Gabriel Metsu (1629–1667) painter of history paintings, still life, portraits and genre works * Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) a Dutch marine painter * Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635–1681) a

genre and portrait painter *

Jan Gaykema Jacobsz. Jan Gaykema Jacobsz. (11 March 1798 – 16 July 1875) was a Dutch Painting, painter, drawing, draughtsman and botanical illustrator. Birth Jan Gaykema Jacobsz. was born at the Wagenweg, in a part of the village of Heemstede that would be annexe ...

(1798–1875) a Dutch painter, draughtsman and botanical illustrator *

Jan Elias Kikkert Jan Elias Kikkert (24 June 1843, Amsterdam – 11 April 1925, Leiden) was a Dutch lithographer and watercolorist, best known for his street scenes of Leiden. Biography His mother was unmarried at the time of his birth and the name of his fath ...

(1843–1925) a Dutch lithographer and watercolorist of street scenes of Leiden * Coenraad V. Bos (1875–1955) a Dutch pianist, an accompanist to singers of

lieder In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...

* Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931) a Dutch artist, founder and leader of De Stijl * Ernst Winar (1894–1978) a Dutch actor and film director * Nina Foch (1924–2008) a Dutch American actress and drama teacher *

Michel Waisvisz Michel Waisvisz ( ; 8 July 1949, Leiden – 18 June 2008, Amsterdam) was a Dutch composer, performer and inventor of experimental electronic musical instruments. He was the artistic director of STEIM in Amsterdam from 1981, where he collaborated ...

(1949–2008) a Dutch composer, performer, inventor of experimental electronic musical instruments and artistic director of STEIM 1981-2008 * Leoni Jansen (born 1955) a TV personality and anchor-woman, singer and stage-director * Daniel Reuss (born 1961) a Dutch conductor, primarily a choral conductor * Isa Hoes (born 1967) a Dutch actress and voice actress * Eva Dorrepaal (born 1970) a Dutch actress *

Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...

(born 1976) a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer * Carice van Houten (born 1976) a Dutch actress and singer * Dyro (born 1992) a Dutch DJ and Electronic dance music producer

Science

* Rembert Dodoens (1517–1585) botanist, died in Leiden * Charles de L'Écluse (1526–1609) botanist, horticulturist and director of Hortus Botanicus Leiden * Ludolph van Ceulen (1540–1610) mathematician, computed the number π, pi * Willebrord Snellius (1580–1626) a Dutch astronomer and mathematician * Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738) a botanist, chemist, Christian humanist and physician * Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697–1770) a German-born Dutch anatomist * Gerard van Swieten (1700–1772) a Dutch physician, personal physician of

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

* Petrus Camper FRS (1722–1789) a Dutch physician, anatomist, physiologist, midwife, zoologist, anthropologist, palaeontologist and a naturalist * Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866) a German physician and botanist, studied Japanese flora and fauna * Johannes Diderik van der Waals (1837–1923) a Dutch theoretical physicist, winner of the 1910 Nobel prize in Physics *

Hendrik Lorentz Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (; 18 July 1853 – 4 February 1928) was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman for the discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect. He also derived the Lorentz t ...

(1853–1928) a Dutch physicist, joint winner of the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics * Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853–1926) a Dutch physicist and winner of the 1913 Nobel prize in Physics * Willem Einthoven (1860–1927) a Dutch physician and physiologist * Pieter Zeeman (1865–1943) a Dutch physicist, joint winner of the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics * Willem de Sitter (1872–1934) a Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer * Albert Einstein (1879–1955) lecturer/researcher at

, variously between 1916 and 1930 * Paul Ehrenfest (1880–1933) an Austrian/Dutch theoretical physicist, contributed to

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic be ...

* Geertruida de Haas-Lorentz (1885–1973) a female Dutch physicist, worked on Brownian motion and electrical noise theory * Jan Oort (1900–1992) a Dutch astronomer, pioneer in radio astronomy * Hendrik Casimir (1909–2000) a Dutch physicist * Ewine van Dishoeck (born 1955) a Dutch astronomer, chemist, molecular astrophysicist and academic *

Ariel Cabello Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

(2014–Present) Born in Argentina in 1980, Physicist & Music Expert at Catawiki.com

Sport

* Willem Slijkhuis (1923–2003) a Dutch middle-distance runner, won two bronze medals in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

* Sandra Le Poole (born 1959) a retired field hockey player, team gold medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

* Ronald Florijn (born 1961) a former rower, twice team gold medallist, at the

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Carina Benninga (born 1962) & Taco van den Honert (born 1966) former Dutch field hockey players, team gold medallist at the

and team bronze medallist at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

* Alfons Groenendijk (born 1964) a former footballer with 413 club caps and current manager *

Gerritjan Eggenkamp Gerritjan Eggenkamp (14 November 1975) is a Dutch rower. Born in Leiden, Netherlands, Eggenkamp started rowing aged 12 at Het Spaarne rowing club in Heemstede, and first competed internationally as a Junior, coming 9th in the coxless four at th ...

(born 1975) a Dutch rower, team silver medallist at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Rodney Glunder (born 1975) a retired kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and boxer * Tim de Cler (born 1978) a Dutch former footballer with 361 club caps * Erik van den Doel (born 1979) a Dutch chess Grandmaster *

Merel Witteveen Merel Witteveen (born 12 May 1985, in Leiden) is a sailor from the Netherlands. Witteveen represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With fellow crew member Annemieke Bes and Mandy Mulder as helmsman, Witteveen took Silver me ...

(born 1985) a sailor, team silver medallist at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Biurakn Hakhverdian Biurakn Hakhverdian ( hy, Բյուրակն Հախվերդյան; born 4 October 1985 in Leiden) is a Dutch water polo player who represents the Dutch national team in international competitions. She is of Iranian Armenian descent.

(born 1985) & Iefke van Belkum (born 1986) Dutch water polo players, team gold medallist at the

* Gegard Mousasi (born 1985) a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer * Laurine van Riessen (born 1987) a long track speed skater and track cyclist, bronze medallist at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Kjeld Nuis Kjeld Nuis (; born in Leiden 10 November 1989) is a Dutch speed skater. Nuis specializes over the middle distances of 1000 and 1500 meters. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he won the gold medal at the 1500 m and 1000 m events. At th ...

(born 1989) a Dutch speed skater, world record holder and gold medallist at the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

over 1000 metre and 1500 metre Buurtpoesbledder

* Chantal de Ridder (born 1989) a Dutch football striker, 46 caps with the

Netherlands women's national football team The Netherlands women's national football team ( nl, Nederlands vrouwenvoetbalelftal) is directed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), which is a member of UEFA and FIFA. In 1971, the team played the first women's international foo ...

Esmee Visser Esmee Michelle Visser (; born 26 January 1996) is a Dutch speed skater and Olympic Champion, who specialises in long distances. Born in Leiden, she qualified for the 5000 metres at the 2018 Winter Olympics in December 2017. At the 2018 European ...

(born 1996) a long-distance speed skater, gold medallist in the

in the women's 5000 metres

Others

Maria Swanenburg Maria Catherina van der Linden-Swanenburg (9 September 1839 – 11 April 1915) was a Dutch serial killer who murdered at least 27 people and was suspected of killing more than 90 people. Early life Maria Swanenburg was the daughter of Cl ...

(1839–1915) a Dutch serial killer, murdered at least 27 people and suspected of killing more than 90 *

Aemilianus van Heel Johannes Wilhelm van Heel (8 June 1907 – 8 October 1938), later known as Father Aemilianus van Heel, was a Franciscan friar from the Netherlands, who served as a missionary in China and died in the second Sino-Japanese War. Biography Van Heel wa ...

(1907–1938) a Franciscan friar who served as a missionary in China * Marinus van der Lubbe (1909–1934) executed for the

Reichstag fire The Reichstag fire (german: Reichstagsbrand, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of ...

in Berlin in 1933 *

Buurtpoes Bledder Buurtpoes Bledder ( 2011 – August 7, 2013) was a male domestic cat who attracted national media attention in the Netherlands after becoming a regular fixture at various businesses in Leiden's central district. His exploits became the subjec ...

(2011–2013) a male domestic cat, media star for his exploits in the city *

Kirtie Ramdas Kirtie Ramdas (born 1980 in Leiden) is a Dutch television presenter and actress of Indo-Surinamese descent and mostly known for her work for the Dutch TV show for the OHM and television presenter for for the NTR. Currently she is in a TV commer ...

(born 1980), Dutch television presenter and actress

International relations

Twin cities – sister cities

Leiden is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with:

Miscellaneous

*The coat of arms of Leiden is two red keys, crossed in an X-shape on a white background. These keys are the

Keys of Heaven The Keys of Heaven, also called Saint Peter's keys, refers to the metaphorical keys of the office of Saint Peter, the keys of Heaven, or the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. It is explicitly referenced in the Bible in Matthew 16:19. In Catholicis ...

held by St. Peter, for whom a large church in the city centre is named. Because of this coat of arms, Leiden is referred to as the ''"Sleutelstad"'' ("the key city"). *For a time Leiden held the title "The Coldest Place on Earth" because of the developments in cryogenics in a laboratory there. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1913 Nobel prize winner in physics) liquefied helium for the first time (1908), and later managed to reach a temperature of less than one degree above

Absolute zero Absolute zero is the lowest limit of the thermodynamic temperature scale, a state at which the enthalpy and entropy of a cooled ideal gas reach their minimum value, taken as zero kelvin. The fundamental particles of nature have minimum vibration ...

. *The Norwegian cheese " nøkkelost" ("key cheese") is named after the keys in coat of arms of Leyden, as it is a variation of

Leyden cheese Leyden, from nl, Leidse kaas, is a semi-hard, cumin and caraway seed flavoured cheese made in the Netherlands from cow's milk. It is made both in factories and on farms, historically in the Leiden area. ''Leidse kaas'' is the most common ty ...

. *The following places and things are named after this city: ** Leyden, New York, USA ** Leyden, Massachusetts, USA ** Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, USA ** Leiden scale, for measuring extreme low temperatures. ** Factor V Leiden is named after the city of Leiden where it was discovered in 1994. **The Leyden jar, a capacitor made from a glass jar, was invented here by Pieter van Musschenbroek in 1746. It was actually first invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist the year before, but the name "Leyden jar" stuck. *Leiden's ''Stadhuis'' (Town Hall) has a poem in the form of a cryptogram on its façade that records the date 1574 in

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

, the year of the "Black Famine" or Spanish siege (W equals two Vs): Leiden Stadhuis plaque 2

(Dutch: "When the Black Famine had brought to the death nearly six thousand persons, then God the Lord repented, and gave bread again as much as we could wish".)

Sports

* Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden is the basketball club of Leiden. In 2011, 2013 and 2021 they won the National Title, in 2010 and 2012 the National Cup and in 2011 and 2012 the National Super Cup. The club also played in the FIBA EuroChallenge and reached the Second Round (Best 16) in 2011/2012.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

* *
Scenic video 'Leiden Sleutelstad' ('Leiden, city of keys') (time lapse)
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland