HOUSE OF THE VAN DUIVENBODE BROTHERS:

Two brothers who kept carrier pigeons lived here. Their pigeons were used during the Siege of Leiden in 1573-1574 to send and bring messages between the people in Leiden and the navy of William of Orange, which eventually was able to sail up to the city walls to relieve the siege, once they had flooded the farmland south of town. The city granted the coat of arms seen on the house to the brothers to commemorate their contribution to the city; and the brothers took the surname "van Duivenbode" which means "of the carrier pigeons."

Two picturesque streets lead back left to the Pieterskerk, where the route continues; going straight and following the canal a little farther, however, we go past a larger house, identified by a stone inscription. This was