Universiteit Leiden | Leiden University

Every February 8 Leiden University celebrates its birthday. The university was founded on February 8, 1575 also in this church. This dies was special, because the much-loved rector magnificus (and president of the executive board) stepped down and a new rector was installed. The minister for education made an appearence and bestowed a royal honour on the old rector. On the television screen you can see the organ player. He plays the Van Hagerbeer organ whilst the professors find their seats. The old rector is waiting to begin his speech.

The professor on the left has got some work to do.

You can see him on the right. He is a master of arts now. He studied the German language. The Academy building is closed for renovation, so the ceremony took place in the library of his student fraternity.

Student bodies and fraternities publish an almanac annually.

It is a tradition that students who obtain a grade write their name on the wall of the Zweetkamertje (Sweat Room). In older days students had to wait in this room before their exams. The signatures of Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela are also there, because they both received an honourary doctorate of Leiden University.

Hockey boys. They are wearing student fraternity jackets.

Leiden University gathered to open the new academic year. Traditionally this event is held at the St. Peter's Church (Pieterskerk). This is before the speeches began.

The Academy Building is being renovated. I found this old wood in the dumpsters outside.

This building is to be demolished. It was built in the 1960s and it housed the University's Central Administration for most of the time. I worked in this building until the late 1990s. I've heard that two people committed suicide in this building, one man walked in from the street and threw himself down the staircase. The other suicide was of a university worker who hung himself on the cords of the blinds. One professor remarked that it looked like that the University housed its department of old paper in this building. Stationsweg means Station Road.

This building is to be demolished. It was built in the 1960s and it housed the University's Central Administration for most of the time. I worked in this building until the late 1990s. I've heard that two people committed suicide in this building, one man walked in from the street and threw himself in the staircase. The other suicide was of a university worker who hung himself on the cords of the blinds. One professor remarked that it looked like that the University housed its department of old paper in this building.

This building is to be demolished. It was built in the 1960s and it housed the University's Central Administration for most of the time. I worked in this building until the late 1990s. I've heard that two people committed suicide in this building, one man walked in from the street and threw himself in the staircase. The other suicide was of a university worker who hung himself on the cords of the blinds. One professor remarked that it looked like that the University housed its department of old paper in this building.

Longish hair is almost obligatory for students nowaday.

He worked for about 20 years for the university. He is not in this picture

The trees stay outside for the summer.

I used to write the names of the new members on the bulls. In return I received a free glas of Dutch gin, but that didn't make me drunk, because new members were few and far between. In the end they felt sorry for me and gave me a half bottle of gin. Now the fraternity has folded and I'm going to hand the Great Seal and the empty bulls over to the Academic Historical Museum of Leiden University.

I used to write the names of the new members on the bulls. In return I received a free glas of Dutch gin, but that didn't make me drunk, because new members were few and far between. In the end they felt sorry for me and gave me a half bottle of gin. Now the fraternity has folded and I'm going to hand the Great Seal and the blank bulls over to the Academic Historical Museum of Leiden University.

I used to write the names of the new members on the bulls. In return I received a free glas of Dutch gin, but that didn't make me drunk, because new members were few and far between. In the end they felt sorry for me and gave me a half bottle of gin. Now the fraternity has folded and I'm going to hand the Great Seal and the empty bulls over to the Academic Historical Museum of Leiden University. This bull went wrong at the sealing stage, so I kept this one as an example.

I used to write the names of the new members on the bulls. In return I received a free glas of Dutch gin, but that didn't make me drunk, because new members were few and far between. In the end they felt sorry for me and gave me a half bottle of gin. Now the fraternity has folded and I'm going to hand the Great Seal and the empty bulls over to the Academic Historical Museum of Leiden University.