Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Leiden

In 1638 the city council of Leiden decided to build an inspection hall for woollen cloth: the Laecken-Halle (nowadays named Lakenhal ). Architect Arent van 's-Gravesande was commissioned to design a classicist city hall. The hall should reflect the quality and international reputation of the fabrics that made Leiden so rich in the 17th century. Three years later was the official opening of the Laecken-Halle . For centuries it served as an inspection hall for woolen cloth fabrics that were exported from Leiden all over the world. The original front of the building is still completely intact, but a lot has changed on the inside over time. Due to the decline of the textile industry, the Laecken-Halle lost its function as hall of inspection for cloth and in 1820 it was taken into use as the Hall of Manufactures and cholera hospital. Since 1874 it houses Museum De Lakenhal : the municipality museum of Leiden, exhibiting arts, crafts and history of Leiden.

Windmill De Valk (The Falcon) is the third mill built at this location. In 1611 a postmill was built, which was replaced in 1667 by a wooden post mill. The current tower mill is dating back to the year of 1743. The new, stone flour mill had to accommodate two families and had to be high enough - it is one of the tallest windmills in the country - to rise above the houses in its surroundings in order to catch enough wind. The ground floor and the additional building contained the kitchens, living areas and stable of the two houses. The sleeping rooms where located on the first and second floor, while the third served as storage room. The milling activities took place in the spaces located from the fourth floor (14 meters) to the top of the mill (29 meters). After the death of the last miller, the mill became a museum in 1966. Nowadays De Valk houses a museum offering an overview of its history, as well as the function of windmills in the Netherlands. It also has the only original miller’s house in the Netherlands.

Windmill De Put is named after miller Jan Jansz. Put, owner of the mill that was located on this spot in the 17th century. The original mill dates from 1619, and burned down in 1640. After the wooden flour mill was rebuilt afterwards, it had to make way in 1729 for a stone tower mill. This mill was demolished in 1817. Archaeologists discovered the foundations of the octagonal mill in 1982. The idea was put forward to build a post mill on the old bastion. This idea was finally realized five years later and in 1987 the cormill was rebuild on the former ramparts of the city of Leiden. De Put is located nearby the Rembrandtbrug and Rembrandtplein . It is believed that the original mill once was operated by the father of the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who was born nearby the windmill. Normally the mill is open on Saturdays and is still functioning.

Leiden town hall is located on the Breestraat as early as the Middle Ages. In 1595/96 it was given a new facade in Renaissance style. The city government wanted to show the city's new prosperity. In 1574 Leiden had been besieged by the Spanish. Many citizens died of hunger and plague. Nonetheless Leiden withstood the siege. The city was relieved on 3 October 1574. Several parts of the town hall facade commemorate this Siege and Relief of Leiden. The town hall was largely lost during a devastating fire in 1929. The façade was rebuilt, but the building behind was completely rebuilt in 1932. Nowadays, Leiden town hal is mainly used as a wedding venue. However, city councillors still regularly reside in Leiden town hall.

The Morspoort was built in 1669 as Leiden expanded to the west. This gate replaced a wooden gate from 1611. The stone gate was built in a Dutch Renaissance style common for the time. It is one of the eight original city gates the city once had. The other gates were demolished in the 19th century. The gate with its octagonal dome was a prison for a long time. Next to the gate was a field where the executed were hanged. The gate was named after the marshy area - The Morsch - on the outskirts of Leiden. The Morspoort and the nearby bridge are a Dutch National Monument.

The Pieterskerk - the oldest parish church of Leiden - is a late Gothic church. In 1121 the church was consecrated a court chapel for the Counts of Holland. The building was dedicated to the apostle Peter The current church took approximately 180 years to build, starting in 1390. The church was a catholic church, but during the so called beeldenstorm (attack on the images or statues) in the year of 1566 Calvinists attacked the church to destroy Catholic choir books, statues, and an altarpiece. Shortly after, the church was closed prior to being converted into a Protestant church. The original windows were destroyed in a gunpowder explosion in 1807. The windows were boarded up, and it wasn't until 1880 that a large-scale restoration took place. The Pieterskerk used to have a tower, eventually reaching 110 meters (including the 35-meter-tall wooden spire). It collapsed in 1512, but the tower was not restored and the church remains towerless. Before 1811 many prominent people were buried in the Pieterskerk, such as the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, scientist Herman Boerhaave, painter Jan Steen, John Robinson, pastor of the "Pilgrim Fathers" and Rembrandt’s parents. The church was deconsecrated in 1971 and since 1975 has been managed by a foundation and is used for a wide range of events. It is also a ‘kind of a nuseum’ and can be visited for a small fee. (To be honest, we were not very impressed by the interior. The huge hall makes a rather empty impression and there is not very much to see. Add to that the choir was full of furniture from the café next door. Then again, the beautiful Church Trustees Room - of which we saw a picture in the church - cannot be visited. All in all: rather disappointing)