Leiden

Leiden is there to be explored during your guided walk! Leiden is a charming, historical city and has the oldest university of nowadays’ Netherlands. A number of museums are rooted in former university exhibitions. In the rich 16th and 17th century beautiful canal houses were built thanks to a prosperous cloth industry. Rembrandt was born in Leiden and we may follow some of his footsteps. It was in Leiden that the first tulips bulbs were  planted by  botanist and scientist Carolus Clusius and as such he laid the foundations of Dutch tulip cultivation and the bulb industry today.

From the end of the 16th and 17th century onwards lots of refugees fled to the northern countries of the Netherlands  and settled in Leiden, such as the Pilgrimfathers. Did you know that the typical accent spoken in Leiden has its traces in the languages of these foreigners?

In the industrial era even children worked hard in numerous factories. When these factories closed down, a large number of people became unemployed: a difficult period for Leiden. Nowadays Leiden is flourishing again but in a completely different field: in biotechnology. And Leiden has an important university medical centre. Students in Leiden are enjoying their university years especially when they have the chance to live in one of the historic courtyards!