Leiden
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- Oct 2
Study finds Dutch royal house earned €576 million from colonialism and supported slavery
A three-year historical study presented in Leiden found that the House of Orange-Nassau actively backed colonial rule and generated €576 million in profits, primarily from 19th-century operations in Indonesia.
- Oct 1
MSF aid worker infected with Ebola in DR Congo evacuated to Leiden hospital
A European aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontières who contracted the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in eastern DR Congo arrived at Schiphol Airport on Thursday evening and was transferred to an isolation ward in Leiden.
- Sep 30
Butterfly wing patterns create motion illusions that deceive predators during flight, study finds
A study of 397 European species published in Nature reveals that fluttering wing stripes generate optical illusions, causing birds to miscalculate flight trajectories and miss their targets.
- Sep 30
CBS figures show 44,000 Dutch birthdays on 30 September as longevity rises
More than 44,000 people in the Netherlands celebrate their birthday on 30 September, according to figures released by statistics agency CBS that also document rising life expectancy and demographic aging across municipalities.
- Sep 25
Weekend van de Wetenschap to open research centres and museums across Dutch cities on 3 and 4 October
Universities, observatories, and museums across eight Dutch municipalities will host public tours and exhibitions on 3 and 4 October 2026 for the annual Weekend van de Wetenschap.
- Sep 10
Dutch library membership grows 3% nationally led by young adults as local gaps persist
National library membership in the Netherlands increased 3% last year behind a 22% surge among young adults, though municipal data from CBS and KB reveals wide differences in adult sign-ups, travel distance, and household income.
- Sep 2
Dutch unions confirm nationwide transit strike for 9 September over benefit cuts
Trade unions CNV and FNV will proceed with a full-day nationwide public transport strike across the Netherlands on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, halting rail, regional, and urban transit services.
