Leiden << LYD uhn >>, also spelled Leyden (pop. 121,163), stands 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Amsterdam on the Rhine River. Leiden lies 3.8 feet (116 centimeters) below sea level. The city was once an important center for the printing and textile industries. Leiden is noted for its many museums. William of Orange founded the Netherlands’ first university in Leiden in 1575 to reward the citizens for their heroic defense against a siege by the Spaniards in 1574. Leiden was the home of about 40 of the Pilgrims who sailed to America on the Mayflower in 1620. The famous Dutch painter Rembrandt was born in the city in 1606.
