Discover the enchanting world behind the walls of Leiden's courtyards, where intimate gardens and hidden spots await exploration. During the Leiden Courtyard Festival, Leiden's most beautiful courtyards open their doors for two days filled with concerts...
Discovering Ancient Egypt has already attracted more than 100.000 visitors since its opening in October 2025. This makes the exhibition one of the biggest crowd-pullers at the National Museum of Antiquities in recent years. The exhibition tells the multifaceted story of...
In 2026, it will be exactly 400 years since Jan Steen was born in Leiden. Step into the personal life of one of the most important Dutch painters of the seventeenth century. In this exhibition, you will discover how his children,...
The Dutch municipal council elections in 2026 are regular municipal council elections that – in the greater part of the Netherlands – will be held on March 18, 2026. Exceptions apply in connection with municipal reorganization and due to the special status of constituent parts of the Kingdom. Are you...
For the first time in Belgian philatelic history, a series of stamps in the mini format of 1 by 2 centimeters is being released. A technical and artistic tour de force, dedicated to five almost invisible, but ecologically indispensable micro-creatures. Issue date: October 20, 2025. Did you know...
More than 60 member organizations of the KNVWS are established and active throughout the Netherlands. In addition, there are also independently operating organizations and individuals active in the field of meteorology and astronomy. Many of them participate to bring astronomy closer to the...
Emotion, stillness, and melancholy. Phenomenally painted. But by whom? No one knows. For the first time, the most important paintings by the unknown but highly talented 17th-century Master IS come together in the exhibition Masterful Mystery – On Rembrandt’s enigmatic contemporary....
For the 2025 children's stamps, PostNL created a special postmark at the request of the Association for Children's Stamps and Maximaphily. This was announced in the January issue of the monthly magazine Philately. You could also have your own envelope stamped with it. That is what I did...
Clusius is best known as the one who brought the tulip to the Netherlands and spread the potato throughout Europe. He was born in 1526 in Northern Flanders as Charles de l'Écluse. In his adult years, he traveled all over Europe...
In late 2025, Deutsche Post issued a stamp about 'stumbling stones' featuring the text: Nie wieder ist jetzt (Never again is now). And: Ein Stein; Ein Name; Ein Mensch (a stone; a name; a person). This will be a poignant...
In 2026, the city twinning between Leiden and Oxford will celebrate its 80th anniversary. The Leiden-Oxford Committee has been organizing cultural and sporting exchanges between the cities of Leiden and Oxford since 1946. This committee strengthens the city twinning – one of the oldest in the world –...
400 years ago, in 1626, Jan Steen was born in Leiden. I came across this remarkable painter three times in the stamp catalogue. Although the name Steen does not refer to the Stone Age, his name does have something to do with 'stones'...
Have you read the previous blog about the history of the Open Monument Days? It is scheduled for the weekend of September 13 and 14, 2025, but not all municipalities (and therefore not all buildings) are open for two days. Some organize 1 day...
The exhibition Boven het maaiveld is on view at RMO Leiden until September 7, 2025. So don't wait too long to admire these highlights of Dutch archaeology all together. A lot of interesting information has been added to the...
For a month, numerous activities take place at various locations throughout the city during the Leiden Comic Festival. From an exhibition and drawing and cartoon workshops in the library, to a comic book pub quiz at Scheltema and from films...
On June 21st, the week with many road closures due to the NATO summit, national events are still being organized. If you would rather not walk in the scorching sun or get a tan on the beach, then this is your...
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