In the footsteps of Erasmus - Gouda

Little Erasmus, who was a very fragile and sickly child, moved to Gouda where he spent most of his early childhood and his school time.
His memories of this time were far from pleasant though! The teachers were harsh and abusive and smacked the children to bring them to their knees.

This bad experience at school is the breeding ground for his conviction that this is not the way to educate people. Despite the hardship in his early youth it is believed that Erasmus considered Gouda as his childhood home rather than Rotterdam. Around the age of 20, Erasmus would return to the vicinity of Gouda, when he moved to the monastery of Stein.