The museum is named after Herman Boerhaave, a physician and botanist who was once the most famous doctor in Europe.
It houses the original 'Leiden Jar', the world's first capacitor invented by Pieter van Musschenbroek.
The collection includes a historical water-powered clock and original instruments used by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes.
The building was converted into a hospital in the 17th century, where Boerhaave himself conducted bedside teaching.
The museum's 'Treasure Room' showcases items that have been in the national collection since the 18th century.
It holds a significant collection of 17th-century globes and astronomical instruments used by Dutch navigators.
The anatomical theater display replicates the historical practice of public dissections conducted for medical students.
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave is the national museum for the history of science and medicine in the Netherlands. It is housed in the former St. Caecilia Hospital, a 15th-century monastery building in the center of Leiden. The museum showcases five centuries of scientific discovery through a collection of original instruments and artifacts. Key displays include the microscope inventions of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the pendulum clock developed by Christiaan Huygens. Visitors can explore the Treasure Room, which contains rare scientific objects of historical significance. The museum covers diverse disciplines, including astronomy, anatomy, physics, and medical practice. It features a life-size 18th-century operating theater and a functioning reconstruction of a historical anatomical theater. The collection emphasizes the role of the Netherlands in global scientific breakthroughs. The museum underwent a major renovation to modernize its galleries, earning the European Museum of the Year Award in 2019.
The central staircase and the view of the ornate historical anatomical theater.
Download the museum app for detailed audio commentary on the most significant scientific artifacts.
Spend extra time in the medical section to see the historical surgical tools, which provide context for the evolution of modern medicine.
Check the museum's temporary exhibition schedule online, as they frequently rotate specialized scientific displays.
Trying to read every single information panel, as the volume of historical context is extensive; focus on the primary artifacts.
Closed on Mondays.
No photography with flash near light-sensitive historical documents; maintain a quiet tone in gallery spaces.
