Step into Leiden’s past at the spot where the Old Rhine and New Rhine rivers meet as you gaze at the cross-shaped Hooglandse Kerk (Highlands Church). It is a 15th century Gothic church, dedicated to St. Pancras and served parishioners of the Protestant Church in Netherlands today. While the construction concerning the enlargement of the church was never truly “finished”, it has served vital in both religious and social aspects of Leiden since the 17th century. In fact, had the construction been completed, it would have made Hooglandse Kerk the largest Gothic church in the country.

You can discover the beautiful wooden vaults in the choir and the transept, which happens to the longest Gothic transept (at about 66m) in all of Netherlands! The church even houses the old clock from 1609, ticking away in the main hall of the church. Its mechanisms will surely keep you occupied for a while. These marvelous details of architecture are simply not to be missed.