The main Leiden museums are:
Museum Naturalis is about the evolution of animals, plants and all other life. The collection is one of the largest in the world with 42 million objects. To see are 14.6 million insects, 125 thousand fish, 60 thousand reptiles and amphibians, 380 thousand birds, and 50 thousand mammals. The most impressive is the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex.
The Archeology Museum is the Dutch national archeology museum. Collections from Ancient Egypt and Greece. But also Dutch excavations from pre-history to the Middle Ages.
Molen de Valk, dating from 1743, is a Mill Museum. The seven-storey mill was built in just 3 months. Grain was milled until 1925. The miller’s tools from the last three centuries are on display.
The Pijpenkabinet has a collection of 7500 pipes and provides information about the manufacture of clay pipes. It is located in the beautiful Meermansbrug courtyard.
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum. Leiden was a city of freethinkers and hundreds of persecuted believers moved to Leiden. John Robinson was one of their leaders. As long as they practiced their religion in silence, almost every group, even Catholics, could settle in Leiden. From Leiden, via Delfshaven and Southhampton, they left for the new country of America in 1620 to start a new life there. Presidents Bush and Barack Obama are descendants of this group.
Rembrandt van Rijn grew up in Leiden. The Young Rembrandt Studio is now a museum and is housed in the studio of Jacob van Swanenburgh, his most important teacher. The artist spent te rest of his life in rich Amsterdam where were more opportunities.
Corpus is a museum full with medical facts and human anatomy. You learn about the body parts, how they work and how they stay healthy. From toe to brain.