Search - Leiden University

Academic Historical Museum
The University’s historical collection is housed in the Academic Historical Museum. The museum is situated in the Academy Building.

Historical research helps improve biodiversity in the Leiden city centre News - 22 July 2024
The Leiden municipality wants to make the city centre climate-proof and combat heat stress by greening it. But they want to do this in a way that does justice to the city’s heritage. Researcher Fenna IJtsma delves into historical greenery to offer inspiration.

Memorial Year makes visible the continuing effects of historical slavery News - 1 July 2024
Research into our history of colonialism and slavery, heart-to-heart conversations at a Keti Koti table, exhibitions, lectures and podcasts that establish the link between present and past. Staff and students participated in the national Slavery Memorial Year in many different ways. What have we learned…

Research offers surprising insights into historical crime in The Hague News - 4 November 2024
Theft, prostitution, fortune-telling or murder. Historian Manon van der Heijden and a group of students are researching court records from The Hague from 1600 to 1800. They are tracing crimes and offenders and shedding new light on The Hague’s Gevangenpoort (or Prison Gate). Among their many discoveries…

Maritime historians and vocational college students together create historical database News - 25 November 2022
What do you do when you’re suddenly given access to a whole lot of data but don’t know how to organise and analyse it? Maritime historians in the Faculty of Humanities joined forces with vocational college (MBO) students to build a database. ‘We’re so compatible with each other.’

Leiden researchers on king’s apology for the Netherlands historical role in slavery News - 4 July 2023
In a speech on Keti Koti the Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, apologised on behalf of the royal family for the Netherlands’ historical role in slavery. What is the significance of this?

Historical research shows how Leiden University and city council benefitted from colonialism News - 3 April 2025
Leiden University contributed to colonialism and slavery through its research and teaching. And governors and residents of Leiden had an active role in colonial networks. These are the findings of two explorative studies presented on 3 April.

‘The historical pedigree of New Wars and New Terrorism’: meet LUCIR scholar Isabelle Duyvesteyn News - 17 November 2021
Isabelle Duyvesteyn, Professor of International Studies and Global History at the Institute of History and member of the advisory board of Leiden University’s Centre for International Relations (LUCIR) is widely regarded as an expert on civil wars and conflicts. Her new book, Rebels and Conflict Escalation,…

Vidi grant for Angus Mol: ‘Historical games are like time machines’ News - 28 July 2022
How do games help shape our perception of the past? Associate Professor Angus Mol receives a Vidi grant to answer this question.

Reunionists of Leiden Historical Debating Society celebrate 65th anniversary: 'We are more alive than ever' News - 15 November 2022
Friday 4 November marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of Leiden’s P.C. Hooft Historical Debating Society. Although new members have not been accepted for several decades, the society is still alive and kicking. A retrospective with former presidents Jos Hooghuis and Saskia Leupen.