We offer two walking tours, twice each. A walk along Leiden's Almshouses and a walk tracing Leiden's history with slavery. Sign up via e-mail to esshc@iisg.nl or at the conference desk. First come, first served.
Paragons of charity. Walking along Leiden’s almshouses
From the late Middle Ages until the middle of the twentieth century in many Dutch cities almshouses for the elderly were founded, mostly by wealthy benefactors and mostly on a rather small scale. Leiden still has an exceptionally high number of them, many of them still private foundations whose original buildings have survived to the present day. During the walking tour a number of these almshouses will be visited and the origin and history of these ‘little palaces for the poor’ explained by IISH-research fellow Henk Looijesteijn, an expert on Dutch almshouse history.
Times: Tuesday 25 March 15.00 & Thursday 27 March 11.00
Your guide: Henk Looijesteijn
Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours. Maximum number of participants: 15.
Traces of slavery in Leiden
For centuries, the Dutch were complicit in the slave trade and slavery - a history of exploitation and racism. This history did not only unfold in lands far away, in Africa, the Caribbean, and the greater Indian Ocean world, but also closer to home in the Dutch mainland. During this tour, you will learn about the history of Dutch slave trades and slaveries, whilst walking along the buildings where enslaved individuals, slave traders, and abolitionists lived. It will share with you stories of suffering and exploitation, but also of great resilience and resistance.
Times: Tuesday 25 March 15.00 & Saturday 29 March 16.15
Your guide: Britt van Duijvenvoorde
Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours. Maximum number of participants: 20.