The Victory of Leyden to be celebrated again

LEYDEN – Those who love a rare parade in a historic Dutch city celebrating a feat of nearly unmatched perseverance in the early years of the Eighty Year War, should mark this one on their calendar: October 1-4, in Leyden. It celebrates the end of the 1574 siege which lasted over four months and caused a severe famine in the city. Although surrender was considered, Leyden's Mayor Pieter Adriaansz. van der Werff and several councilors challenged the citizenry to hold out and persevere against the greatly feared Spanish commander Alva who had shown no mercy to the inhabitants of Naarden and Haarlem when they surrendered to him. The siege was Leyden’s second within one year. The end of the siege cost the Spanish their grip on the Western part of the Netherlands but the see-saw war was continued for over 70 more years until 1648. Organizers of the parade are looking for 350 volunteers willing to play a part in the event.