Meermansburg Hof, Leiden Meermansburg Hof, Leiden: Oude Vest 159, 2312 XW Leiden Leiden has more than thirty ‘courtyards’. The largest of these is Hof Meermansburg, located on one of the beautiful canals in the historic city center of Leiden. It was founded in 1681 by a wealthy couple: Maerten Ruychaver Meerman and Helena Verburgh, intended to house single Christian women and nowadays also for men. It has a beautiful Regentenkamer with a grand piano, on loan from the Geelvinck Collection. Originally intended for the housing of single Christian women of 40 years and older, or for “honorable, sober Widows…aged at least over forty years old, having no children”. Nowadays men also live in the courtyard houses and the age limit has been lowered to about 30 years. It is a national monument. Regents’ room with Belehradek ‘mignon’ salon wing, Vienna ca.1880-1885 and portraits of former regents on the wallSara Lewensztain tunes the Belehradek pianoThe Hoftuin garden with pump and gatehouseBelehradek ‘mignon’ grand piano, Vienna ca. 1880-1885view of the snow-covered walled garden in February 2021, photo Eli de Graaf Cultural Significance Maintaining Hof Meermansburg is in itself a matter of cultural significance. In keeping with this, the Board of Regents is also open to requests to cooperate with cultural activities: open monument days; art route; concerts; exhibitions and the like. Regents Rooms Hof Meermansburg has a beautiful Regents Room with an important collection of portraits of former regents, mainly from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. There is also a grand piano here, a Belehradek “mignon” salon grand, Vienna ca. 1880-1885, on loan from the Geelvinck Collection. The intention is that as soon as concerts can be given to the public again, this Viennese grand piano will be played and a concert program will be drawn up, in collaboration with Museum Geelvinck / Muziek in Musea.