The huge billboard at Leiden train station, that was erected in February, was destroyed by heavy wind yesterday. The billboard of 1100 square meters in size held an image of a huge bookshelf holding books with titles related to themes such as the celebration of Rembrandt’s 400th birthday this year. More »

Here are some nice random photos of the city of Leiden in the Netherlands, where we live. Leiden is the birthplace of Rembrandt van Rijn and has the oldest university in the country. There are lots of canals, church spires, narrow alleys, and monumental buildings. More »

Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden in 1606. This year the city celebrates the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth with different museum exhibits, festival events and other special expositions. In February we walked a part of the Rembrandt City Tour, and followed in the footsteps of this young artist. More »

Phase two of the outdoor exposition “Young Rembrandt Large” in the city of Leiden began on Monday, February 27. In total 25 early works of the artist will be presented on huge cloth posters hung up throughout the city. More »

On Sunday we visited the Lakenhal, which houses the city museum of Leiden. One of several special temporary Rembrandt anniversary exhibits was taking place: Rembrandt’s Mother: Myth and Reality. More »

On Thursday the city of Leiden began placing a huge billboard near the Centraal Station. When complete, the billboard will be 1100 square meters in size. The board will promote cultural events in Leiden, with the image of a huge bookshelf holding books with titles related to themes such as the celebration of Rembrandt’s 400th birthday this year. Leiden’s museums and landmark buildings will also be featured. The billboard will be located between the train station and the center of the city, so visitors will see it as soon as they arrive in the city. More »

The Rembrandt-themed Dutch Ice Sculpture Festival, an attraction in Leiden since December, has been a huge success. Nearly a quarter million people have seen the ice statues so far. The festival will close this Sunday at 6pm. At 5:30pm a group of blind and legally blind persons will be able to feel the sculptures. During the run of the festival, touching the sculptures by the public was not allowed. More »

Shopkeepers outside the center of Leiden protested against a city plan to allow shops in all of Leiden to open their stores to customers on Sundays. Until now this was only allowed in the city center. More »

Today we visited the Dutch Ice Sculpture Festival here in Leiden. The theme is the artist Rembrandt van Rijn. In 2006 Leiden celebrates the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth with different museum exhibits, festival events and other special expositions. The Ice Sculpture Festival features statues and scenes made of ice and snow, taken from the painter’s works and life. More »

The warehouses used by the municipality of Leiden to store improperly parked bicycles are nearly full. Because of this the city can no longer clear illegally parked bikes from the train station area. The city needs storage space for at least 3,000 bikes. More »