Since its foundation (1575), Leiden University has been one of the largest centers for Calvinist education in Europe. This educational institution was founded by personal order of Prince William of Orange, nicknamed the Silent. Since then, strong relations have been established between the Royal House of the Netherlands and the university, which are maintained to this day.
Many members of the royal family were students at Leiden University. Queen Beatrix received an honorary degree from this institution. The exact mailing address of Leiden University is as follows: Leiden University PO Box 95002300 RA Leiden. For personal visits, a separate address is provided: Rapenburg 70 2311 EZ LeidenThe Netherlands.
University Foundation
Leiden first appears on the pages of European annals in 922 as a possession of Bishop Utrecht. During the Eighty Years War in the XVl century, the inhabitants of the city showed extreme courage in the fight against the Spaniards. To repel the onslaught on the enemy, the townspeople opened the floodgates in the dams and flooded the surroundings, so that the ships were able to come close to the walls and repel the attackers.
As a reward for his courage, William of Orange granted the right to open a university of Protestant education in the city. After that, the institution gained pan-European fame and earned a good reputation. The difficulty, however, was that the Spanish king was still the formal owner of the Netherlands.
Early years of existence
The first time after the opening, the university was located in the monastery of St. Barbara, but in 1577 he moved to the city church, where the university museum is now located.
The professor quickly established itself as advanced researchers. Among the prominent specialists working in the educational institution are Jacob Arminius, Hugo Grotius, Justus Lipsius. It is reliably known that the connection with the university professors was maintained by the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, who lived nearby at that time.
It is worth noting that, as a sign of respect, the oldest university in the Netherlands is often called the Leiden Academy. This status allows the university to enter the most prestigious university associations and international research groups.
University structure
Contrary to expectations, the university does not have a central campus, and all its buildings are scattered around the city. Among the premises belonging to the educational institution, there is both the old building of the Academy, and modern comfortable buildings equipped with the latest equipment.
There is an old library at the university, the collection of which totals more than 5,000,000 books and 50,000 magazines. The library also holds rare collections of both Western and Eastern manuscripts, ancient printed books, prints and drawings. Especially valuable are collections of atlases and maps.
The University Botanical Garden, which is the oldest in the Netherlands, is widely known. He is one of the oldest in the world. The garden collection includes carefully selected plant specimens from around the world. Some trees that grow in greenhouses are today more than two hundred years old.
Special mention deserves the center for the study of Southeast Asia and Africa. This research institution was created about 70 years ago in order to study the cultures with which the Netherlands interacted intensively for several centuries, as it was a major colonial power.
University Campus in The Hague
The decision to open a branch in The Hague was made in 1997. Since then, six out of seven faculties have been located on the Hague campus. In The Hague, you can study at the medical, legal, political science faculties and the faculty of public administration. The Hague also has a center for international studies and a college of liberal arts and sciences.
The Medical Center of Leiden University has been represented in this city since 2017. On the city campus, they are engaged in both educational and fundamental scientific activities.
What do you learn at university?
The university has archaeological, humanitarian, legal, medical, natural sciences and social faculties. In 2011, a new faculty of international relations and global issues was created. In total, all faculties can be trained in 50 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs.
Of course, in the university you can successfully engage in scientific activities. Leiden is actively collaborating with universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as with Ivy League universities from the United States. Almost every department of the institution has the right to award a doctorate.
In the framework of international cooperation, foreign students are offered scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral studies. Leiden University in the Netherlands is very popular among international students due to the unique combination of rich research traditions and the aspiration of the university leadership in the future.