Leiden

   In the 13th century, the city of Leiden received from the Count of Holland a privilege, which promoted the former village, on an old arm of the river Rhine, to an autonomous town. In the later Middle Ages, it became one of the towns (goede steden) that the ruler consulted in the assembly of the States of Holland. One of the main sources of its wealth was the textile industry, especially during the 14th and 17th centuries. During the Revolt of the Netherlands, Leiden successfully resisted a siege by the Spaniards. Prince William I of Orange, the leader of the revolting provinces, re warded the city with an academy in 1575. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Leiden was on the decline, its population decreasing and impoverished. Arecovery took place following the late 19th century. Abroad range of small industries gave the town new prosperity. Lei den, a city with about 119,000 inhabitants, houses several national museums (e.g., of Antiquities, Ethnography, and Sciences) and a fa mous local museum, the Lakenhal, in which the painters Lucas van Leyden (1494–1533) and Floris Hendrik Verster (1861–1927), among others, are represented.