The Blue Stone of Leiden

The Breestraat was from of old the most important street of Leiden, and in the middle of it lay the Blue Stone like a quiet axis about which everything turned. Here people stopped to hear news, here the crier read out the announcements of the city council, and here whoever wished to tell or hear something came as a matter of course. The stone was no monument with figures or inscription, but everyone knew: this is the heart, this is where Leiden comes together.

But the Blue Stone bore a darker weight too, for at that stone justice also took its course. Here sentences were proclaimed and punishments carried out, in full view of the city, that everyone should see and remember. So the little blue stone became a sign of authority and community at once: the place where the city shared its joy and its gravity, and to which one always returned, whether one brought good news or bad. Whoever sees it under his feet today stands on the old heart of Leiden.