Kamerling-Onnes Laboratory, Leiden

This is the Leiden Institute of Physics. The building has an unusual trapezoidal shape and a large open area in the middle. White arched windows and small Gothic decorations make this edifice a true example of Flamand art. It is named in honour of H. Kamerlingh Onnes. He was the first person that liquified helium in 1908. This discovery granted him the Nobel Prize in 1913. He also discovered superconductivity in 1911. Nowadays the most important work at the university involves the phenomenon of low temperatures.