Anniversary activities

How are we celebrating our anniversary in 2025 on the faculty?

Together! Students, staff, alumni and all our other friends will join us in celebrating 450 years of Leiden Law School. With 450-talks, boat trips, Lawlands, music & sporting events, lectures, symposia, alumni-events, special merchandise, a mural competition and much more.

Keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming events. Retrospectives of our biggest lustrum activities will appear on this page.

Kick off 450th anniversary celebration

On 6 January 2025, Leiden Law School celebrated a special milestone: our 450th birthday! Our special anniversary year got underway with a panel discussion with Bonnie Honig, as well as a celebratory toast. Check out the photo gallery for an impression of the event:

450-talks

An important part of Leiden Law School’s 450th anniversary programme is a series of 450-talks. Each month, a short talk is given by a specially invited speaker at various unique locations within the KOG building. The theme ‘House of Thorbecke’ serves as the common thread for these talks and each speaker finds an original way to link their own discipline to this central concept.

Lustrum Boat

Thanks to our sponsor Rondvaart Leiden, a special lustrum boat is setting sail throughout 2025.  Staff and students can plan a boat trip along the canals of Leiden (with private skipper). Make a booking  via the reservation system and discover Leiden from a different perspective!

Thorbecke Medal awarded

Carla van Baalen received the Thorbecke Medal in recognition of her remarkable and varied oeuvre in the field of parliamentary history. As part of Leiden Law School’s 450th anniversary celebrations, the Thorbecke Medal was presented to her on 4 June, the 153rd anniversary of the death of Johan Rudolph Thorbecke.

LAWLANDS

On 19 June, the grounds of the Kamerlingh Onnes Building formed the amazing backdrop for LAWLANDS! We had everything; sun, science, sand as well as games, a quiz, great music, and – most important of all – enthusiastic staff and students who were in a great party mood!

450 art competition

The winning design for the 450 art competition was revealed at LAWLANDS . The design by student Jill Stoelinga was chosen as the winner and it can now be admired by all on the ground floor of the KOG building.

Opening of the faculty year & Leiden Revisited

On Friday 5 September, to mark our 450th anniversary we celebrated the opening of the faculty year together with the Leiden Revisited alumni event. Combining both annual events was a huge success, especially as staff brought along their family, partner or friends.