2L De Volharding – Leiden – The Netherlands
2L De Volharding – Leiden – The Netherlands
History of the Monumental building De Volharding in Leiden.
The Leidsche Steamer Society was founded in 1852 and the head office was located at the harbor in Leiden. The Company started by offering regular services over the water between Leiden and Amsterdam. Later services were also added to Gouda, Rotterdam and Uithoorn. The ships used are all under the name "Volharding" with a serial number.
The head office also served as the landing place for the regular services. The horse tram also ended here. The steamer scheduled services were able to cope well with the railways for decades, partly due to an increased demand for transport. Nevertheless, the construction of local or regional rail connections could be painful for the steamboat companies. However, it was the arrival of the bus in the early 1920s that completely destroyed steamboat transport. Setting up a bus service requires a significantly smaller investment than a boat service, requires less staff, and a bus can get to many more places than a boat.
In the end, 'De Volharding' did not survive the struggle and ceased its activities in 1930. A garage was first established in the building on the Haven. After a complete restoration, a restaurant called “Lot en de Walvis” and a harbour hotel apartment rental under the hotel brand 2L with the name '2L De Volharding' opened here.
The harbour hotel apartments are modernly furnished and combined with the preserved authentic details, this makes a great impression on the guests. Partly because of its location in the middle of the historic center of Leiden on the water, this is a "place to be" for a holiday or for a longer business stay.
The harbour hotel apartments are all non-smoking self-catering accommodations. There are 6 hotel-apartments in total, 2 are loft and 4 are with 1-bedroom. 3 of these have a stunning harbour view!
Each accommodation will provide you a seating area and a flat-screen TV. The private bathroom has a shower and a toilet. Free Wi-Fi is included. Meals can be prepared in the fully-equipped kitchen.