This city, or rather a very nice, compact town has only 120 thousand inhabitants. Not big, even for the Netherlands. But several centuries ago, the glory of Leiden reached many states of Europe. In the 15-16th century, Leiden was famous for her wool. Weavers and woolen merchants emigrated here from the Southern Netherlands when they weren’t welcome there anymore because of their Protestant belief. In Leiden, they had everything which was necessary for their crafts: green meadows for their sheep, the rivers (the Rijn and another ones) for the washing of the wool, and the protection of the City Hall.
Later, during the war with Spain, known as a Eighty-year’s war, Leiden fought very courageously, was in a siege and, after the war, got her own university as a prize for such a courage. This university is still one of the most famous in the country. Almost all the members of the royal family van Oranje have been studied here and occupied the houses on the Rapenburg Channel.
If you choose to walk along this channel, please don’t forget to honor the university but also the very first Botanical garden of the Netherlands: Carolus Clusius planted here the very first tulip as early as in 1590! After that, the republic of the Netherlands got to know the Tulip-fever when the flower bulbs could cost almost more than a house! Now, this garden is a paradise for people with ‘green fingers’ and for the big fans of beautiful things.
When in Leiden, you can’t miss the Rembrandt places: one place where the house of his parents had been built and stayed until the recent times, the mill of his father, the Latin school where young Rembrandt learned to read and write, the workshop where he took his lessons as an artist…
Nowadays, Leiden is famous with her museums and scientific life. One of the most interesting museums is Corpus which looks like a giant man with internal organs where you can walk into on order to get to know everything ‘ from inside’. Be aware that you have to book a visit to this museum very strictly beforehand. Another good ones are the Naturalis and the Lakenhall (an museum of the fine arts).
Don’t forget to climb to the hill with the Burcht, the oldest fortress of the city, of the 10th century, to find a memorial board about the Fathers-Pilgrims who left for America and started their new life overseas…
And of course, while exploring Leiden, don’t forget to lift your head now and then… The walls of the city contain more than one hundred poems in various languages, from the most famous poets of the world. Even if you don’t succeed in finding any other interesting places in Leiden (which is also called the Key-town), you can completely enjoy discovering more and more of these hidden pearls of the fine poetry in Leiden.
Asya Plomp-Suvorov
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