Leiden

Sister cities

• Toruń
• Oxford
• Krefeld

History

Leiden was formed on an artificial hill (today called the Burcht van Leiden) at the confluence of the rivers Oude and Nieuwe Rijn (Old and New Rhine). The settlement was called Leithon. The name is from Germanic *leitha (canal). Leiden has erroneously been associated with the Roman outpost Lugdunum Batavorum. This was thought to be located at the Burcht of Leiden, and the city's name was thought to be derived from the Latin name Lugdunum. However, the castellum was in fact closer to the town of Katwijk, whereas the Roman settlement near Leiden was called Matilo. In 1420, during the Hook and Cod wars, Duke John III of Bavaria along with his army marched from Gouda in the direction of Leiden in order to conquer the city since Leiden did not pay the new Count of Holland Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, his niece and only daughter of Count William VI of Holland. Burgrave Filips of Wassenaar and the other local noblemen of the Hook faction assumed that the duke would besiege Leiden first and send small units out to conquer the surrounding citadels. But John of Bavaria chose to attack the citadels first. He rolled the cannons along with his army but one which was too heavy went by ship. By firing at the walls and gates with iron balls the citadels fell one by one. Within a week John of Bavaria conquered the castles of Poelgeest, Ter Does, Hoichmade, de Zijl, ter Waerd, Warmond and de Paddenpoel. On 24 June the army appeared before the walls of Leiden. On 17 August 1420, after a two-month siege, the city surrendered to John of Bavaria. The burgrave Filips of Wassenaar was stripped of his offices and rights and lived out his last years in captivity. Leiden flourished in the 16th and 17th century. At the close of the 15th century, the weaving establishments of Leiden…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34,218
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  29,121
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  29,080
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  27,079
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  27,032
• muskrat

  Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Mammalia
  27,019
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  26,895
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,892

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2008-10-11
  19 km WNW of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.7 — 2001-09-12
  54 km WNW of Petten, Netherlands
• M 3.4 — 2001-09-10
  10 km W of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.8 — 2001-09-09
  7 km W of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands