Leiden, the City of Keys

Leiden is located in the west of the Netherlands and was founded in the 9th century. It is a typical university city in which the Leiden University can be found throughout the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere. The city centre is full of historic places including canals, windmills and one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. Leiden is the birth place of the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. 

Oldest university in The Netherlands

Leiden University was founded in 1575 and was the first university in the Netherlands. With its early focus on freedom of belief and religion it provided the right environment for philosophers such as Spinoza and Descartes to develop their ideas. Leiden is also well known for great natural scientists like Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Pieter van Musschenbroek and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek ("father of microbiology") and multiple Nobel prizes were awarded to its scientists. The University of Leiden is ranked 65 on the worldwide Shanghai ranking.

Bioscience Park

Around the Science Faculty lies the biggest biotech orientated conglomerate of the Netherlands, the Bioscience Park. This hub of innovation currently houses 60 companies aimed at life sciences e.g. Crucell, Jansen Pharmaceuticals and Pharming.