Leiden is a city in which world cultures come together and in which you will find silent witnesses to important historical events. Discover the world in Leiden with these walking tours that are brought to life for 'Leiden City of Science' in 2022. Learn about the city of Leiden, about the languages and the cultures that have been studied here for ages and about about the historical footsteps that have been made there with the Leiden World Walks series.
Traces of Poetry in Leiden
When you walk, cycle or drive through the streets of Leiden, it ́s hard to overlook them: over a hundred wall poems that adorn the Leiden walls. This project was started in the1990s by the TEGEN BEELD Foundation, set up solely for this purpose. The several languages and beautiful design of the poems evoke many emotions amongst residentsand visitors of Leiden. Some feel recognizedby the city seeing their mother tongue represented, for others it brings back good memories of their student days. For some the poems awaken a new love for poetry, while others appreciate their artistic value as a work of street art.
We have made a small selection of poems for this tour, showing them and the unique stories tied to them. You can walk the tour yourself by downloading the PDF:
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The Leiden City World Walks are offered to you by the Leiden University Faculty of Humanities and LeidenGlobal in collaboration with the Africa Study Centre Leiden, the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies and Leiden2022
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[Photographer Pim Rusch]