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Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

Rijksmuseum Boerhaave is the Dutch National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine, and winner of the European Museum of the Year Award 2019. It tells the stories of the major discoveries in the history of science in the Netherlands, the scientists behind them, and the impact of their discoveries on our lives today. With a collection spanning five centuries of research and innovation, and based on close collaboration with prominent modern scientists, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave offers visitors of all ages a fascinating insight into the world of science. The world famous collection includes highlights as the microscopes of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the first pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens, the oldest Dutch planetarium, anatomical preparations and objects that once belonged to Dutch Nobel Prize Laureates. The museum has been named after Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738), one of the leading scientists in Europe in his day. He held a number of chairs at the Faculty of Medicine of the University in Leiden, and had a great reputation as a teacher. The museum is located in a magnificent monument that was built as a monastery in 1440. Later this building became the first academic hospital in Northern Europe, where Herman Boerhaave instructed his students at the patients’ bedside.