The Academiegebouw on Rapenburg is the ceremonial heart of the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575. Inside is the Sweat Room, where doctoral candidates wait nervously before defending their theses, lined with portraits of professors back to the 16th century. The Senate Room is normally open to visitors during office hours.
Leiden University's faculties are scattered around the old city in elegant brick buildings, and the student presence is what gives Leiden much of its character. The Hortus Botanicus next door was the university's original teaching garden, planted in 1590.