Museum De Lakenhal - Leiden

Museum De Lakenhal (The Cloth Hall) in Leiden is a fascinating museum where you can discover the city's rich history and its role in the textile industry. The building itself is already a piece of history: this is where Leiden's famous fabrics, such as the Leiden cloth, used to be inspected for quality. Inside, you can see how Leiden grew into a major textile centre in the 17th century and how the fabrics were traded all over the world. It is a perfect place to learn more about the city's past in a way that is lively and engaging.

But Museum De Lakenhal is also a place for art lovers. There is a large collection, including paintings by famous Leiden artists from the Golden Age, such as Gerrit Dou, Frans van Mieris, Jacob van Swanenburg, Jan Lievens, Jan Steen, Jan van Goyen (including View of Leiden from the North-East) and the young Rembrandt van Rijn (including Musical Company, Glasses Vendor (c 1626) and History with self-portrait of the painter (1626)).