Homunculus loxodontus

We've heard of Leiden before, but not in terms of tourism. It was known for the Leiden jar, the first capacitor in history, invented by Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek in 1745. The invention of a device that could store electrical charge was one of the most important scientific revolutions in human history.

We, on the other hand, came here for a less scientific problem. Namely, to see the popular Internet meme, the Zhdun.


Zhdun (Homunculus Loxodontus, "The One Who Waits", Snorp, or WOSH) was created in 2016 by the Dutch artist Margriet van Breevoort. It became popular in post-Soviet countries as internet-meme. Though it can be popular in any country, where people usually have to wait for something, for example Germany :)

It is installed in the medical building of Leiden University, a stone's throw from the railway station.


You can enter the university freely, after the entrance go to the right.


After visiting the Zhdun, we walked around Leiden. The old city here, surprisingly, is huge. Here you can see the tourist itinerary.


We liked the city. It is quite old, the first references go back to 922. Like Amsterdam, it has canals, mills, and ancient bridges. Perhaps that's why we haven't heard of Leiden as a tourist city. If Amsterdam has all the same, then people will go there.




























Getting there: Leiden Centraal train station is located in the city center. Nearby there is a large covered parking lot 52.167873, 4.477611.