Rembrandt Birth House, Leiden

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden in 1606. His father was Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn, a miller. Neeltgen Willemsdochter, daughter of a baker, was his mother. Rembrandt was their eighth and last born child. There were actually ten children, but two died in infancy, a common occurrence in those days.

Stand on the Rembrandt Bridge. The Rhine River flows beneath your feet. The view from here includes a windmill like the one Rembrandt's father operated. To the east are the streets of Galgenwater (Gallow Waters). There was a gallows here and hangings were not infrequent.

Leave the bridge. Walk south. Enter the Weddesteeg. Proceed to number 27. Here was Rembrandt born. The house is gone. Well, there is a house here, but it's not the one our man was born in. That was demolished years ago. But wait. There's a plaque over the front door. It reads, "Here was born on the 15th of July 1606 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN."

That's all there is to see here. Walk west. You come to Rembrandt Park. This is the likely location of Windmill de Rijn, Rembrandt's father's establishment. It too, is gone. In time Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam. He was enormously successful but not wise with money. He died in penury. His birth house is gone, his grave unmarked.