Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #3 in Leiden, Netherlands
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Tour Facts
9.3 km
72 m
Experience Leiden in Netherlands in a whole new way with our free self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.
Activities in LeidenIndividual Sights in LeidenSight 1: De Heesterboom
d'Heesterboom, also known as De Heesterboom, is a sawmill in the Dutch city of Leiden. It belongs to the Top 100 of the National Service for the Preservation of Monuments. The mill is located at the Noordman timber merchant on the Haagweg on a plot on the Oude Rijn/Galgewater. The mill has three saw frames. The middle window consists of a saw and scalloped window.
Sight 2: Moskee Al Hijra
The Al Hijra mosque is a mosque in the Dutch city of Leiden, which has been located at Rembrandtstraat 10 since about 1982. Because the building became too small for the Moroccan religious community, a new building was put into use on the Ter Haarkade in 2018. The name Al Hijra or Al Hijra refers to the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622.
Sight 3: Pieter Loridanshofje
Pieter Loridanshof is a courtyard in the Dutch city of Leiden, at Oude Varkenmarkt 1. The courtyard was founded in 1655 by Pieter Loridan and consists of an entrance pavilion with regent's room and 12 houses. In 1950 the folding house was restored. Since 1968 it has had the status of national monument.
Sight 4: Gijselaarsbank
The Gijselaarsbank is a symmetrical bench at the head of the Rapenburg in Leiden. The bench dates from 1920 and was built in honour of Nicolaas Charles de Gijselaar, who was mayor of Leiden between 1910 and 1927. During the First World War (1914-1918) he tried to reduce shortages of food, clothing and fuel and to distribute these goods fairly.
Sight 5: Sieboldhuis
Japan Museum SieboldHuis is a museum located at the Rapenburg (Leiden) 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 nearby Nagasaki in Japan. It also functions as a museum of Japanese culture.
Sight 6: 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 with a custodian's dwelling. Designed by the architect Arent van ‘s-Gravensande, the building follows the Dutch Classical style and is regarded as one of the jewels of Dutch 17th-century architecture. Bibliotheca Thysiana is one of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites. It is distinguished by its balanced proportions and the purity of its Ionic order on top of a high basement.
Sight 7: Academisch Historisch Museum
The Academic Historical Museum (AHM) is a museum in the Dutch city of Leiden, in the province of South Holland. The museum, which is housed in the Academy Building, displays objects, photographs and documentation about the history of Leiden University and student life. The museum has permanent and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition includes twenty sculptures by Leiden professors. There are several smaller exhibitions throughout the Academy Building. Also special are the entrance to the Academy Building (1828), the vault room (1581) and the Great Auditorium (1581) that was used for the theology colleges. In 1865 Victor de Stuers made a number of special charcoal drawings in the stair tower and at the entrance to the sweat room. In 2009, student Uri Ruff painted a mural depicting modern student life. The temporary exhibition is housed in the reception area, among other places.
Sight 8: Oude Sterrewacht
The Old Observatory is the former observatory building of the Observatory of the Dutch University of Leiden.
Sight 9: Sint Annahof of Joostenpoort
The Sint Annahof or Joostenpoort is a courtyard on the Zegersteeg in the city center of the Dutch city of Leiden. The courtyard also has a (nicer) gate at the end of the Doelengracht, which is referred to there as the 5th Binnenvestgracht.
Sight 10: Jeruzalemshof
The Jerusalemhof is a courtyard on the former Cellebroersgracht, which has been the Kaiserstraat since it was filled in 1875, in the city center of the Dutch city of Leiden. It is the oldest surviving courtyard in Leiden. It was founded on 16 May 1467 by Wouter IJsbrandszoon in honour of God and the twelve apostles on the occasion of his visit to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Originally, the courtyard consisted of 13 houses that were intended for thirteen poor men, who are honorable, and of good syn façade. A possible wife was also allowed to live with her, because then she could take care of her husband. When her husband died, she had to leave. The fact that a courtyard was intended for men and not for women was remarkable, because that had never happened before in the Netherlands.
Sight 11: Jean Pesijnhofje
Jan Pesijnhof is a courtyard in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 12: Pieterskerk
The Pieterskerk is a late-Gothic Dutch Protestant church in Leiden dedicated to Saint Peter. It is known today as the church of the Pilgrim Fathers, where the pastor John Robinson was buried. It is also the burial place of the scientist Willebrord Snellius.
Sight 13: Jean Michelshofje
The Jean Michelhof, also known as Jan Michielshof, is one of the 35 courtyards of the Dutch city of Leiden. The courtyard is located in the Pieterswijk right opposite the Lokhorst Church in the Pieterskerkstraat 10-12. The courtyard was founded in 1687 by Catharina Geschier, widow of Jan Michielsz.
Sight 14: Lokhorstkerk
The Lokhorst Church is a religious building in the Pieterswijk in the inner city of Leiden in the Dutch province of South Holland. The combined Mennonite and Remonstrant congregations hold their worship services there. It is a national monument.
Sight 15: Latijnse School
The Latin School is a national monument in the city center of the Dutch city of Leiden. Rembrandt van Rijn, among others, was taught here.
Sight 16: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands, located in Leiden. It grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with its Faculty of Archaeology. The museum calls itself "the national centre for archaeology" and focuses on ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East, the classical world of Greece, Etruria and Rome and the early Netherlands.
Sight 17: van Brouchovenhofje
Brouchovenhof is a courtyard located at Papengracht 16 in the Dutch city of Leiden. It was founded in 1631/1640, by Jacob Van Brouchoven. The houses were later raised.
Sight 18: Klein Sionshofje of Weduwenhofje
Klein Sionshof is a courtyard at Schoolsteeg 1-5 in the Dutch city of Leiden, in the province of South Holland. The courtyard has a sandstone gate, which is crowned by a pediment with an inscription about the foundation.
Sight 19: De Waag
The Leiden Weigh House is a Rijksmonument located on Aalmarkt street.
Sight 20: Waalse kerk
The Walloon Church in Leiden is a church building in the Breestraat in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 21: City Concert Hall Leiden
The Stadsgehoorzaal is a concert hall on the Breestraat in the Dutch city of Leiden. In addition to the Great Hall, the building includes a chamber music hall, the Aalmarkt Hall and a historic hall on the Breestraat, the Breezaal.
Sight 22: Hartebrugkerk
The Hartebrugkerk is a church in the Dutch city of Leiden. The church is part of the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul. The official name is Our Lady Immaculate Conception. The church is named after the bridge of the same name in front of it at the time. Among the people of Leiden, the church is also known as the Coeliekerk, after the last word of the Latin proverb above the entrance, Hic Domus Dei est et Porta Coeli.
Sight 23: De Grachtwacht
The Canal Guard is a citizens' initiative in the Dutch city of Leiden that strives to keep the canal clean and to make people aware of the urban nature in and around the canals.
Sight 24: 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.
Sight 25: Meermansburg
The Meermansburg on the Oude Singel / Oude Vest is the largest court in the Dutch city of Leiden. It was founded in 1680 by Maerten Meerman and his wife Helena Verburgh. The name is a contraction of the surnames of the founders.
Sight 26: Sint Janshofje
The Sint Janshof is a courtyard in the Dutch city of Leiden, in the province of South Holland. The courtyard is located on the Haarlemmerstraat. The Sint Janshof was founded in 1504 by order of Jan Stoop Kerstiaanszoon and his wife Claertgen. The courtyard was intended for decent people, who had fallen to the lower shore due to setbacks. The courtyard consisted of seven houses for single women, six for married couples, a regent's room and a house that could be rented out for the benefit of the courtyard. In 1565, the heirs of the founders transferred the courtyard to Mr. Geraert van der Laen, who in the same year ordered the new construction of the houses, the gatehouse and the regent's room. After his sudden death, the name of the courtyard was changed to the Sint Jans- or Van der Laenhofje.
Sight 27: Het Leids Wevershuis
Museum Het Leids Wevershuis consists of one of the last remaining "weavers' homes" in Leiden, Netherlands. Built around 1560, the exterior, the large antique loom (1830) and the interior, are testimony of the once flourishing textile industry around Leiden, in particular during the 16th and 17th century, when many home weavers supplied the draper's guild with high quality woolen cloth.
Sight 28: François Houttijnshof
François Houttijnshof is a courtyard in the Dutch city of Leiden. The courtyard is located at Hooigracht 81 and contains 9 houses. In 1736 it was decided to found the courtyard, which was completed a year later. It has a sober entrance and a stone with the inscription 1737.
Sight 29: Evangelisch Lutherse kerk
Evangelical Lutheran Church is a church in the Dutch city of Leiden. The church is located at Hooglandse Kerkgracht 26. The building dates from 1618, making it the oldest church building built for Protestant service in the city.
Sight 30: Mierennesthofje
The Mierennesthofje is a courtyard in the city center of the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 31: De Burcht
The Burcht van Leiden is an old shell keep in Leiden constructed in the 11th century. It is located at the spot where two tributaries of the Rhine come together, the Oude Rijn and the Nieuwe Rijn. The structure is on top of a motte, and is today a public park.
Sight 32: Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
The Leiden American Pilgrim Museum is a small museum in the Dutch city of Leiden dedicated to the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed to the New World on the Mayflower. These Puritan separatists were religious refugees who had fled England to Amsterdam in 1608 and moved to Leiden the next year. They lived and worked in that city for about 12 to 20 years. In 1620, they left Leiden by canal, going to Delfshaven where they embarked on the Speedwell, which took them to Southampton. But the Speedwell proved leaky and had to be sold, so they transferred to the Mayflower and undertook the famous voyage to New England. The colonists' first harvest festival after their arrival at Plymouth Colony was the origin of the annual Thanksgiving celebration in the United States.
Sight 33: Hooglandse Kerk
The Hooglandse Kerk is a Gothic church in Leiden. Its earliest parts date back to the last quarter of the fourteenth century. Most of the current structure dates from the fifteenth century. The brick church was dedicated to St. Pancras and today serves parishioners of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
Sight 34: Schachtenhofje
The Schachtenhof is a courtyard in the Dutch city of Leiden, in the province of South Holland. The courtyard is located on the Middelstegracht. The Schachtenhof was founded in 1664 in the name of the orphan boy Theunis Jacobsz. Van der Schacht. His will stated that a courtyard with 12 houses had to be built on the Midden Gracht. He demanded that residents of 40 years and older could live there for free and there was a preference for family members of Van der Schacht and residents who, like Van de Schacht, had grown up in the Orphanage of Leiden.
Sight 35: Roggebroodshof
The Roggebroodshof is a complex of originally four houses on a small square behind the Middelstegracht between nos. 21 and 23 in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 36: Hof van Venetië
The Hof van Venice is a complex of originally twelve houses from 1898 on the Uiterstegracht in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 37: Ankerpark
The Ankerpark is a park in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 38: Zijlpoort
Zijlpoort is a city gate in Leiden, The Netherlands. The gate was built in 1667 in the classical style according to a design by the Leiden architect Willem van der Helm and with sculpture by Rombout Verhulst. Because the gates have to connect with the city wall as well as with a bridge, the building is in the form of a parallelogram. The Zijlpoort, together with the Morspoort (1669) and Doelenpoort (1645), are the only of the original eight gates that survived. The name refers to the nearby river, the Zijl. The predecessor of the Zijlpoort stood at the end of the Haarlemmerstraat that is now called the Havenplein.
Sight 39: Blekerspark
The Blekerspark is a park in the Dutch city of Leiden.
Sight 40: Sint-Josephkerk
St. Joseph Church is the largest Roman Catholic parish church still in use in Leiden in the diocese of Rotterdam. It is also called the Herensingelkerk, because it is situated at the street called Herensingel. The church is a national heritage site and one of the tallest buildings in the centre of Leiden.
Sight 41: Huigpark
The Huigpark is a park in the Dutch city of Leiden.
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