Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum was founded in Leiden in 1931 to preserve the valuable scientific and medical instruments that had accumulated over centuries at the university and in other collections. It is named after the Leiden physician and professor Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), regarded as a pioneer of bedside teaching.

After decades in cramped premises, the museum moved into the Caeciliagasthuis in 1991. The building complex around an inner courtyard goes back to a convent founded in 1414, was used as a municipal hospital from 1600, and was the place where Boerhaave taught medical students directly at the patient's bedside in the 18th century. It later served as a workhouse before the state acquired it after World War II and had it restored. The entrance is a former municipal storehouse.

After a complete redesign, the museum received the European Museum of the Year Award in 2019. The collection comprises around 126,000 objects, books and prints from five centuries, including Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's microscopes, Christiaan Huygens' first pendulum clock and the world's oldest heliocentric planetarium. The museum also collects contemporary items, such as the first Covid-19 vaccine dose administered in the Netherlands.

An extension designed by KRFT and dedicated to the life sciences is planned opposite the museum; it is scheduled to open in fall 2030, and the museum intends to stay open as much as possible during construction.

Highlights

• Microscopes by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
• Christiaan Huygens' first pendulum clock
• The world's oldest heliocentric planetarium
• Replica of the anatomical theater with an introductory film
• Einstein's fountain pen and Willem Kolff's first artificial kidney
• Hands-on exhibitions for children such as “Schateiland” and “Spelen met Wiskunde”

Permanent exhibitions

• De wereld van wetenschap en geneeskunde – Tour from the anatomical theater through the Golden Age to medicine, engineering and the big questions of today's research.
• Schateiland Boerhaave – Hands-on exhibition for children about ship's doctors, navigating by the sun and stars, and the discovery of unknown animals and plants.
• Spelen met Wiskunde – Interactive exhibition with puzzles and experiments that makes mathematics visible in nature and everyday life.

Founded

1931

Director

Jan-Jaap de Haan

Visitors per year

approx. 99,522 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free with the Museumkaart; also free with an ICOM card, Friends card, VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART, Leiden Sleutelpas, LUMC staff ID, and for members of the Vereniging Rembrandt or the NVON. Online tickets €1 cheaper. The museum shop is accessible without a ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All floors can be reached by elevator or lifting platforms (one mobility aid at a time). Loan wheelchairs for mobility scooter users (reservations at +31 71 751 9999), folding stools at the cloakroom. One wheelchair-accessible restroom on the first floor opposite the anatomical theater. One accessible parking space in front of the entrance (cannot be reserved). Free video tour in Dutch Sign Language on your own smartphone; all videos have Dutch subtitles. Tours for visually impaired people on request, dementia-friendly tours (“Verheugenis”). Participant in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program; the museum points out that it is not low-sensory (dark galleries, projections, sounds).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Hands-on exhibitions “Schateiland” (ship's doctor, navigation, discovering exotic animals) and “Spelen met Wiskunde”; in the summer months the water play track “Waterland” in the courtyard. Free “Dokterstas” (doctor's bag) for families with children aged 8 to 12 at the ticket desk. Holiday programs and children's birthday parties with workshops (ages 7 and up).

Getting there & parking

Bicycle parking on the Vrouwenkerkplein directly opposite the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Museum café with Fairtrade coffee, lunch and snacks Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00, in the historic courtyard when the weather is good; on Mondays a self-service coffee cart. The museum shop is accessible without a ticket, with a selection also online. For safety reasons, e-bike batteries are not allowed in the museum or the cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 200 guests.

Conference room (up to 110 people), foyer (up to 80), foyer with museum café (receptions up to 200), anatomical theater (15–80) and historic courtyard (20–80) for meetings, presentations, receptions and dinners; catering by the museum, can be combined with a museum visit. Contact: evenementen@rijksmuseumboerhaave.nl, +31 71 751 9921.

Plan your visit