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State University of Leiden
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Quick Facts
Dutch:
Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden
Date:
1575 - present
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State University of Leiden

university, Leiden, Netherlands
Also known as: Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
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Last updated
•History

State University of Leiden, university in Leiden, Neth., founded in 1575 by William of Orange. It was originally modelled on the Academy of Geneva, an important centre of Calvinistic teaching. By the early 17th century Leiden had an international reputation as a centre of theology, science, and medicine. Hermann Boerhaave, who was largely responsible for Leiden’s reputation in the study of medicine, spent his professional life there.

Institutes connected with the university include the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (prehistory of the Netherlands and antiquities), the botanical gardens, Leiden Observatory, and the National Museum of Ethnology of Asia.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Albert.