Rembrandt grew up on the streets of this flirtatious Dutch town
Small colorful houses that look out over the typical dutch city canals . Narrow streets that wind as if yearning to find a way out among the crowded centennial buildings . And among all this, the birthplace of one of the most famous painters in history, Rembrandt , and a university that, to this day, is still one of the best in central-northern Europe.
AN IDEAL PLACE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS...
The fourth most populous city in the Netherlands , Leiden , rest peacefully next to the waters of the old rhine (a branch of the Rhine delta) . However, under that apparent apathy of melancholy city , hides a place that has a vibrant cultural scene.
Leiden, like a good Dutch city, has colorful houses overlooking a canal
The biggest culprit for this is Leiden University , founded in 1575 by William of Orange to reward the brave resistance of the city before the siege of the Spanish troops of Philip II in the context of Eighty Years War . In fact, the Dutch ruler gave the people the choice between complete tax exemption or a university. The thousands of students who live in Leiden today will surely they are very grateful for the wise decision of their ancestors.
The most emblematic building of the University of Leiden is the Academy , whose façade neo-gothic style stands imposingly over one of the city's canals. Originally **(15th century) **, it had the function of a convent cloister, but it was annexed to the university in 1581.
The Academy celebrates the bachelor's or doctoral ceremonies and its interior is open to public visits. The room that most attracts the attention of the curious is the " zweetkamertje ” (“ the sweat room , in its translation into Spanish). In it, those who have just been examined, await the results of their tests. Graduates and doctors scribble, after overcoming the bad experience, their names on the walls of the room. Among all these anonymous signatures can be found those of Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.
The Academy, the most emblematic building of the University of Leiden
They did not study there, but celebrities like Albert Einstein, René Descartes and a young Rembrandt.
... AND LOVERS OF CULTURE
The leiden culture is not restricted to its university, and you can see good plays and musicals in its three theaters: the LAK theater, the City Auditorium and the Leiden Theater , which, inaugurated in 1705 , has the honor of being the oldest in the Netherlands.
Lovers of the seventh art will also be able to enjoy the best films of the moment in a cinema, almost centenary ( 1927 ), which is among the jewels of Dutch art deco: the Trianon cinema . In the decoration and architecture of its entrance, one instantly recognizes the skilful hand of the Dutch master Jaap Gidding.
A CITY FULL OF MUSEUMS
As for museums, one of the most visited in Leiden is the **National Museum of Antiquities**. Housed in a beautiful old manor house on Leiden's main canal, Rapenburg, this museum has the honor of having one of the world's top ten examples of Egyptian art. In addition, it has collections of Roman, Greek and Near Eastern pieces , also telling the story of the origins of the Netherlands.
Valk's Mill
Any walk through Leiden will end up taking you, without knowing why, to one of its monumental mills, silent witnesses of the passage of time. In the valk mill , located in the old town since 1611, a museum has been created where you can learn all about it. he history of this dutch national symbol.
THE FOOTPRINT OF REMBRANDT
The mills were found in Rembrandt's daily life, since his father was a miller, a very prosperous profession in his time. However, the Dutch genius would not follow in the footsteps of his parents (his mother was dedicated to bakery, another economically well-to-do guild at the beginning of the 17th century) but would become a painting master.
At **number 89 Langebrug Street is the Young Rembrandt Studio**, where you can admire an illustrative sample of the first 25 years of the painter's life. This place is very close to the St. Pieterskerk church (or San Pedro), a sample of Dutch late Gothic, and the place where the Reuben's parents and he was baptized.
Another point of interest is the **Botanical Garden (Hortus Botanicus)**, located next to Leiden University. Created in 1587, Rembrandt liked to wander through it for inspiration. Furthermore, it was here that the famous French botanist, Carolus Clusius – who was appointed as director of the garden -, began to cultivate the first tulips in Holland.
Rembrandt used to walk through this botanical garden
However, in this 2019, when the 350th anniversary of the death of the greatest representative of the Dutch Golden Age, you cannot leave Leiden without visiting the ** De Lakenhal museum **. In it you will find some of Rembrandt's works and a fabulous special exhibition about the painter It will be open until February 20, 2020.
OF MARKETS, CANALS AND LIFE
The tradition of street market is deeply rooted in Leiden. Every Wednesday and Saturday Around 200 stalls are displayed in various downtown streets. Strolling among them, you will find a huge variety of typical Dutch products, such as fresh gouda cheese balls, bicycle parts and colorful tulips.
Many of these stalls are located on the banks of the canals, around which the historic center of leiden . The oldest neighborhoods are completely surrounded by a series of picturesque waterways which formerly formed a defensive barrier around the outer city walls.
But nowadays, Leiden is a peaceful city in which the large student presence is reflected in the large number of restaurants, bars and cafes that populate its streets.
Rocked by the calm waters of the New Rhine, you will find ancient barges that have been converted into bars. On those improvised terraces over the water, you can enjoy a good dutch beer while you contemplate the slow flow of boats on the river.
In one of the two old access gates to medieval Leiden that are still standing, is the Visbrasserie de Poort. The Poort has been serving great 20 years grilled seafood and it is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner, both in summer and winter.
Leiden seems to have been painted with cheerful brushstrokes. Perhaps Rembrandt had something to do with it.
Leiden seems to have been painted with cheerful brushstrokes