Oud Poelgeest
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Oud Poelgeest was the former home of Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738). He was a Dutch humanist and physician of European fame. He built the castle Oud Poelgeest on land suited for his large botanical collection that no longer fit in the Leiden Hortus. This site was renowned during his lifetime and rivaled Hortus Cliffortianus, the garden of his friend and sponsor to Linnaeus. He traveled back and forth to his friend's garden and to the Leiden University by trekschuit. All who traveled back and forth between Rotterdam and Amsterdam would pass this castle and wonder at the many foreign plants and trees. A tulip tree in the park still exists that was planted by Boerhaave himself. The onion domes were added after Herman Boerhaave's death.
Today, Oud Poelgeest is used as a hotel, with the old castle hosting conferences.
