LEIDEN, 26/01/01 - Leiden council is to open a Pilgrim Information Centre. All the archives, attributes and Pilgrim documents connected with the founders of modern day America are to be housed in the center.

The Pilgrim Fathers came to Leiden at the start of the 17th century when they were being persecuted by Queen Elisabeth I and her successor James I for wishing to break away from the Anglican state church. They hoped to find religious freedom by fleeing to the Netherlands.

Around 1609, many of these English separatists established themselves in Leiden, then the second city of Holland. Between 1620 and 1629 the pilgrims emigrated to North America, where they wished to actualise their own ideals in freedom. In America, they are now looked upon as the "Founding Fathers" and some American presidents were straight descendents of these pilgrims.

In spite of their short stay, Leiden still shows many traces of the religious refugees. Most famous is the American Pilgrim Museum and the most notorious relic is the 17th century Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). Leiden council is eager to pull down the dilapidated wall - all that remains of the church - and this has already provoked a considerable deal of American resistance. The American ambassador C. Schneider sees the wall as part of the cultural heritage and discussed the case with the Leiden councillor for monuments in late 1999.