Over a hundred poems painted directly onto building walls throughout the city, each in its original language and script — from Shakespeare and Rilke to Bashō and Rumi, from Dutch to Japanese to Arabic to Russian. The project began in 1992 and has been growing ever since, turning Leiden into an open-air anthology of world literature.
The poems are scattered across the old centre with no particular pattern, so discovering them becomes a treasure hunt as you walk the streets. Some are on prominent facades, others hidden down alleys or on the sides of houses. Each is painted by hand in careful calligraphy that respects the original script. A map of all locations is available from the tourist office and online, but half the pleasure is stumbling across them unexpectedly. Entirely free, always open, and unlike anything in any other city.