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Belgium Under the Radar – Leuven

Aaaah, Leuven! Where to begin?

Maybe it would be good to start by saying that Leuven should be on top of everyone’s list when visiting Belgium. The spectacular town hall alone is worth a visit. There’s so much to see and do, and drink and eat; it’s kind of ridiculous.

For example, the city is home to AB InBev (I’ve mentioned them earlier, in the post about Dinant), the largest brewing company in the world. They’re the ones that brew Stella Artois – close to the train station in Leuven – and they also own Budweiser, Corona, Beck’s and Brahma. I just think that’s extremely cool.

What makes the city even cooler is the fact that the University of Leuven is the largest and oldest university in the Low Countries and the oldest still existing Catholic university in the world. 90,000 people live in Leuven, 25,000 of which are students. So… that’s the world’s largest brewer of beer and a big student population in a relatively small city. That’s just asking for fun! I know what I’m talking about; I studied there too.

Leuven is located 25 km (15 miles) east of Brussels in the province of Flemish Brabant. Its city center is small, easily walkable and chock-full of century-old buildings and churches. And of course there’s a beguinage too. It seems like every old city in Belgium has a beguinage (See Lier and Tongeren…). The city of Leuven appears in historical documents for the first time in 884, when plundering Vikings settled on the banks of the Dijle River.

Entire books can be written – and probably have been – about what happens from then on until the present, but I won’t go into further detail here.

After all, this post, as well as all other posts in this series, is about the present-day highlights of this particular city!

And there are many…

Town Hall

I honestly think the Gothic Town Hall of Leuven is the most beautiful medieval building on the entire planet. This truly majestic piece of architecture stands at the Grote Markt (Great Market Square). Construction started in 1439 and it was finished thirty years and three architects later. Improvements were made up until very recently. In the 19th century 236 statues were added to the outside, each of them representing a local nobleman, scholar or artist.

Town Hall of Leuven, Belgium

The majestic Town Hall with its 236 statues

The Town Hall at the Great Market Square in Leuven, Belgium

The Town Hall at the Great Market Square

It probably is my favorite building in the whole of Belgium.

University

The University was founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V. The formerly prosperous cloth industry was rapidly losing importance and by establishing a new Catholic university in the cloth hall the Pope pretty much saved the city. That prestigious first University Hall is still used today.

University Hall of Leuven, Belgium

The backside of the University Hall

Many different colleges are spread out across the city. Most of them are housed in impressive 15th-to-17th-century buildings.

University Library in Leuven, Belgium

The University Library and its awesome tower

One of the most important and striking university buildings, however, is the library. Up until the First World War the university library was housed in the University Hall, but after it got destroyed by a fire during the war, a new library had to be built. Thanks to donations by American colleges and universities a completely new ‘old’ building was constructed in Flemish Renaissance style. This building, now housing over 3,000,000 books, is one of the most spectacular university buildings in the world.

Beguinages

There are two old beguinages in Leuven, the Small and Great Beguinage, located on opposite sides of the city center.

Saint Gertrude's Church

Saint Gertrude’s Church near the Small Beguinage

The Small Beguinage was built in the 13th century around the St Gertrude’s Abbey. It had few financial resources and buildings quickly fell into decay. The beguinage’s church was demolished in 1862 and in 1954 the infirmary had to make room for the expanding Stella Artois brewery. The remains of the beguinage are now restored and serve as houses in typical Flemish style.

Small Beguinage of Leuven

One of a couple remaining streets in the Small Beguinage

The Great Beguinage, founded in 1232, is the quietest place in the city by far. It consists of dozens of cobble stone streets and alleyways, parks, gardens, squares and a church. 360 beguines were living in this beguinage during its 17th-century high days.

The Great Beguinage of Leuven, Belgium

The Great Beguinage with its typical sandstone houses

Groot Begijnhof in Leuven

Little statue of Mother Mary in the corner of a beguinage house

Nowadays the beguines are gone and have been replaced by students, foreign guest professors and employees of the university.

Great Beguinage, Belgium

One of dozens of narrow cobble stone streets

UNESCO declared the Great Beguinage a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Saint Peter’s Church

The massive St Peter’s Church stands at the Grote Markt, opposite the Town Hall. It is thought to be founded sometime in the 10th century, making it the oldest church in Leuven. That first church was replaced by a Romanesque church in the 12th century, which was again replaced by the present Gothic church in the 15th century. This Gothic church was built by the same architects who built the Town Hall.

Sint-Pieterskerk in Leuven

The impressive Saint Peter’s Church

The inside is definitely worth a visit. Highlights are the 15th-century crucifix, the wooden pulpit and several paintings by Dirk Bouts, one of the Flemish Primitives.

Saint Peter's Church crucifix, Leuven, Belgium

15th-century crucifix in the front of the church

The 50-meter-high tower, although unfinished, is included on UNESCO’s list of Belfries of Belgium and France.

The ‘Tafelrond’

Also at the Grote Markt (Great Market Square), and between the Town Hall and St Peter’s Church, stands the Tafelrond. This beautiful building is a replica of the original 15th-century Guild Hall, which had to be rebuilt after its destruction during the First World War.

The 'Tafelrond' at the Great Market, Belgium

The ‘Tafelrond’ at the Great Market

Saint Michael’s Church

The Saint Michael’s Church is a former Jesuit church, built by the Antwerp Jesuit Willem Hesius in 1650. The church was almost completely destroyed after the Second World War. Only the impressive Baroque facade – apt called ‘the altar outside the church’ – remained. The rest of the church was rebuilt.

Facade of Saint Michael's church in Leuven, Belgium

Pretty spectacular front of the Saint Michael’s Church

Saint Anthony’s Chapel

The crypt underneath this small-ish church contains the tomb of Father Damien, the ‘leper priest’ of Molokai’. Father Damien was a priest on the Hawaiian island of Molokai from 1864 until his death in 1889, where he lived among outcast lepers. He was an actual hero, giving his life to help others, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

Saint Anthony's Chapel

Saint Anthony’s Chapel

People such as Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Barack Obama have praised Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, for his work.

Beer and the Old Market Square

The Oude Markt (Old Market) has one of the liveliest bar scenes in Belgium, if not in Europe. This central square has dozens of bars and cafés, which is why it’s also called ‘the longest bar in the world’. Every single night there’s something going on. Thank the thousands of college students for that!

Gorgeous buildings at the Old Market of Leuven

Gorgeous buildings at the Old Market

Glorious bars at the Old Market of Leuven, Belgium

Glorious bars at the Old Market

The rest of the city has plenty of bars and student cafés as well.

The bars and restaurants in Muntstraat, Leuven

The bars and restaurants in Muntstraat

Stella Artois in Leuven, Belgium

Signs like this can be seen all around the city

And did I mention that the world’s largest brewery has its headquarters in Leuven?

Green Areas

Besides the previous buildings and structures, there’s also a lot of greenery to relax in. There are several parks, including a nice botanic garden.

Kruidtuin in Leuven, Belgium

Crocuses in the Kruidtuin (Botanic Garden)

Outside the city center and surrounded by the Heverlee Forest lies the Arenberg Castle, which now is the faculty for Engineering Science and the faculty I used to study at.

Location Leuven, Belgium

Sources: Wikipedia and Leuven.be

Other posts in this series are: LierTongerenDurbuyDinant, NamurYpres and Aalst.

This article is also available as a smartphone app, allowing you to use it as a reference when visiting Leuven. You can get the app right here!

Jennifer

Monday 7th of April 2014

This series is making me want to take another trip to Belgium. I especially love the photos of the Old Market!

Bram Reusen

Monday 7th of April 2014

That's the point of this whole series, Jennifer! :-) Thanks!

Devlin @ Marginal Boundaries

Wednesday 12th of March 2014

Seeing those shots of all the restaurants & bars with all that ample outdoor seating really makes me miss European food culture.

Bram Reusen

Wednesday 12th of March 2014

I absolutely love those outdoors terraces too. That's probably my favorite thing about summers in Europe.

Corinne

Wednesday 12th of March 2014

Another fantastic Belgian city to add to the list...awesome photos!

Bram Reusen

Wednesday 12th of March 2014

Thank you! :-D