The city is known for its university, the birthplace of Rembrandt in 1606 and for its beautiful, old city centre (the second biggest after Amsterdam).
Legend has it that as a reward for defending Leiden against Spanish attacks, the residents of the city were given the choice between not paying taxes for a period of time, or, the founding of a university.
The residents chose the university.
The University of Leiden is the oldest in the Netherlands and dates back to 1575.
