Leiden - A city to discover
Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university of the Netherlands (1575). University buildings are scattered throughout the city and students give the city its relaxed and vivid atmosphere.
- Bustling, friendly and an international allure
- Location
- History
- Birthplace of Rembrandt
- City of fundamental discoveries
- Museums
- Traditional and modern
- More information
Bustling, friendly and an international allure
Leiden is a bustling, friendly medium-sized city, an urban community full of life with an outward-looking, international character, particularly with its world famous university, more than 400 years old (founded in 1575). Leiden and its suburbs have a population of 329,000 making it one of the major urban regions in the Netherlands.
It is an attractive city, because Leiden and its region offer an amazing range of temptations. Leiden is very close to the North Sea coast and to beautiful national parks in the dune landscape. Its suburbs to the west are attractive seaside resorts of international style.
To the north and east, the town borders on several lakes, with ample sailing facilities. All of these are within biking distance of Leiden.
Location
Leiden is located just eight miles east of the North Sea coast, and close to Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Working and living in Leiden also means ease of mobility based on a very well-developed and ever-improving infrastructure: Leiden has excellent connections by train, air and car. It is just 20 minutes by direct intercity train to Schiphol Amsterdam International Airport.
Other intercity trains connect Leiden directly with Amsterdam (35 min.), The Hague (15 min.), Rotterdam (30 min.) and Utrecht (35 min.): Leiden is part of the European rail network, including the high speed trains to Brussels and Paris.
Similar convenient connections are available for transport by car. Leiden is connected to the A4, one of the Netherlands most important motorways, and to the A44.
History
The city itself has retained all that its past has to offer: a picturesque, historic city centre with an 12th-century fortress, gothic 14th-century churches, beautifully restored 17th-century houses. Leiden has special ties with the United States: the Pilgrim Fathers left from Leiden in 1620.
The prosperity of the city in past centuries is still visible in the noble mansions along the historic canals where many famous scholars lived and worked. Within the city centre you can explore numerous historic inner courtyards (almshouses), walk along the renaissance city hall, visit the 14th centrury Count's House (Gravensteen), and enjoy the beautiful view from the 12th century Citadel (Burcht). Or just stroll through the narrow medieval streets and enjoy its many restaurants and pubs near the old University and its oldest church, Pieterskerk, built in 1121.
Birthplace of Rembrandt
Leiden is a city with a rich cultural heritage, not only of science, but also of arts. One of the world's most famous painters, Rembrandt, was born and educated in Leiden. Leiden has already been one of Europe's most prominent scientific centres for more than four centuries. Modern scientific medical research and teaching started here in Leiden with Boerhaave.
City of fundamental discoveries
Leiden is the place of fundamental discoveries:
- refraction of light (Snellius)
- the electrical capacitor/the Leyden Jar (Van Musschenbroek)
- the molecular basis of thermodynamics (Van der Waals)
- electron theory (Lorentz)
- superconductivity (Kamerlingh Onnes)
- expanding universe (De Sitter, Einstein)
- electro-cardiography (Einthoven)
- the structure of the galaxy and the origin of comets (Oort)
- implications of the immune system in organ transplantation (Van Rood)
- blood coagulation gen. Factor V Leiden (Bertina, Reitsma)
- 12 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Leiden University as faculty members or students, or by obtaining their Ph.D here.
Museums
Leiden's prominent museums make it well worth a visit:
- Botanical Gardens: birthplace of the Dutch tulip, unique Asian collection (Dutch website)
- Museum 'Boerhaave': medical and science instruments, including first microscope by Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek
- Museum 'De Lakenhal': traditional museum on the history of Leiden, style rooms, Leiden painters, including Rembrandt and Van Goyen
- Museum of Ethnology: cultures of Asia, Africa and South America
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Museum of Antiquities: Roman, Greek and Egyptian statues, jewelry.
- Sieboldhuis: older and modern Japanese art
- Millmuseum 'De Valk': production of flour, housed in a traditional mill.
- Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
- Wagenmakersmuseum: cartwright from the beginning of the century
- Corpus: journey through the human body (in suburb of Oegstgeest)
Traditional and modern
Despite a centuries-old cultural tradition, Leiden is at the forefront of the most modern scientific and high-tech developments. The Leiden Bioscience Park is one of the largest in Europe.
The university covers virtually all possible fields of science. Leiden has a high international reputation in both the natural and medical sciences, as well as in the humanities. More than 13,000 researchers and support staff work in all thinkable fields of knowledge, ranging from the study of the early universe to biotechnology, from Asian and African cultures and languages to social psychology, and from superconductivity to immune response and organ transplantation in the large University Hospital (LUMC).
In the Leiden urban region, ESTEC is Europe's largest space centre, collaborating intensively with the university's astronomy institute and spacecraft industry based in the Leiden Science Park.
So, it is evident that Leiden is a major, knowledge-intensive place, with ample opportunity for an interaction between regional development, international research, innovation and technology.