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17th en 18th century The 17th century was a period of growth and prosperity for Leiden, it became the second largest city of Holland. But this prosperity only served to line the pockets of a happy few. Working conditions where atrocious. The canals became polluted, many suffered from malnutrition, and because of this and other factors there was a lot of disease. Around 36.000 citizens died of the plaque during the first half of the 17th century. Almshouses, orphanages, hospitals etc. were founded by private individuals. There were also other forms of care, such as poor relief, are of the sick and emergency relief for victims of persecution and expulsion: Flemings, Walloons, French Huguenots and English Protestants (some of whom took ship to America in the "Mayflower' in 1620) The textile industry went into a decline after 1670. There was a short-lived revival at the end of the 17th century with the arrival of French industrialists who had to live their native country because of their religion. But after that things went from bad to worse: other cities managed to produce goods more economically and under better conditions, and Leiden's population dropped sharply from 70.000 in 1670 to 28.000 in 1800. 19th and 20th century Because of it's favourable location, Leiden has been an important market for local farming and fishing products for centuries. Various products had their own place in the Saturday market: the cheese market near the Waag (Weigh house), butter was sold on the Boterbeurs (Butter Market), corn on the Korenbeursbrug ( Corn Market Bridge) salt- and freshwater fish on the Vismarkt (Fish Market) with its fountain, etc. The market gradually lost its importance with the development of the dairy industry and trade. The cattle market remained important. Living conditions remained unsatisfactory throughout the 19th century, but there was some improvement towards the end of the century, when a number of new industries were set up around Leiden. Today, Leiden functions as a shopping- and trade centre for farming communities in the area. The city's present population is around 120.000. previous page |