Leuven Tourist Information

General summary of the city:known as Beleuvenissen play more jazz and blue, folk
Leuven (Louvain in French) is a university town and theand classical concerts. Come August, and you can
capital city of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant.see the rise of pop fever in this city with interntional
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Catholic Univeristypop and rock bands coming together for the rock
of Leuven) is the oldest catholic univeristy in the world.festival Marktrock. If you are into sports especially
It is also one of the world's oldest universities. Withfootball, then you can pay a visit to the Oud-Heverlee
respect to the adage "old is gold", the univeristy whichLeuven, a Belgian football club, from the municipality of
is the hallmark of Leuven, is one of the most beautifulLeuven. You can also head to listening to some
sights in the whole of Europe.pleasing orchestra like the famous Arenberg
An ancient town Leuven, grew industrially from 11thOrchestra in Leuven.
century onwards. The town soon became famous forFood and Drink:
linen production (known as lewyn, then) by the late 15thThe Belle Epoque and the Orange par Roland Debuyst
century. Historians argue that linen is actually arestaurants are famous for gourmand delights. Also
corruption of the word "leuven". By the 18th century,famous is the French restaurant offering the best in
the Beer brewing industry came into existence. TheFrench cuisine called Ramberg Hof. Oesterbar is
local "Stella Artois" brand of beer became a householdanother beautiful eatery offering the choices of
name. Things turned out even better for Stella Artoisseafood and oysters for people who love seafood.
when it merged with the Walloon based brewerSince the place is famous for its cosmopolitian outlook,
Piedboeuf to manufacture Interbrew. The brandLeuven brims with the choicest international and ethic
Interbrew grew exponentially as one of the mostcuisinE ranigng from Italian, Mexican, Spanish to
famous brewing companies in the world offering someChinese, Moghlai and Indian. There are around 1765
of the most popular beer brands in Europe. Couple ofcafes and more than 215 restaurants in Leuven. The
years ago, Interbrew merged with a Brazilian brewerquality standards for food and drink are quite high as
AmBew to merge InBev which is now the largest andthey are strictly monitored under the watchful eyes of
the most popular brewer company in the world with athe Leuven Catering Inspectorate.
sizeable marketshare.The popular starters consists of soupe à la
The city of Leuven suffered setbacks during thebière (beer soup) made with chicken stock and
World Wars and the library of the university wasonions; a cold pate made of veal, pork and rabbit;
destroyed and rebuilt twice. Ten percent of theflamiche, a tasty cheese pie with leeks or onions; and
students attending the university in Leuven aretomatoes filled with mayonnaise and shrimps. The main
international students. All in all, Leuven is an historicallycourse include chicken stew or fish stew, lean beef
gifted intellectual place for learning and spreading ofcooked in a casserole with onion and beer among
knowledge.other favorites. A popular sweet dish is the Gaufres
Places of interest:which are waffles served with chocolate syrup or icing
St.Peter's Church on Grotte Markt ( Great Marketsugar. Frijtes is a popular snack here.
Square) founded in the later part of the tenth centuryLike the rest of Belgium, beer reigns high among the list
is a Gothic building. The Church bore the brunt ofof favorite drinks in Leuven, the most popular brand
warfare during the world wars and had to bebeing the good ol' Stella Artois. There is also a good
renovated. The best part about the church is thedemand for French and Luxembourg variety of wines.
treasury of St.Peter which houses the 15th centuryOther popular drinks are gin and coffee. Leuven
paintings like the "The Last Supper" and thePeckhke gin with peach juice and Leuvens Nootje, gin
"Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus".with hazel nut are quite popular among jins. Popular
The Grotte Markt and the Oude Markt (Old Market)brands of Coffee are Margogyp and Mysore.
reflect the ethos and splendor of the 15th and 16thHotel and Accomodation:
century BC. No visitor worth his salt should miss theHet Klooster Hotel
Stadhuis, the townhall of Grott Markt. The Stadhuis isHotel Ibis Leuven Centrum
the most beautiful building in Leuven and one of theHotel New Damshire
most popular structures of Belgium. You can take aBegijnhof Congreshotel
guided tour of the Stadhuis everyday from 3pm. DuringHotel Binnenhof
the months of April through September, the Stadhuis isTheater Hotel Leuven Centrum
open for guided tours from 11 am on weekdays.Entertainment:
The Beguinages built during the period between theYou can take your kids or friends to a beautiful
13th and 16th century are the collection of small buidingrecreational partk known as Kessel-Lo Provincial
used by Beguines. They were more than 300 womenRecreation Park. Children can have a gala time playing,
during those times who lived religious lives, withoutriding electric boats, driving mini-cars etc. You can
taking monastic vows. A visit to the Beguinageindulge in row-boating, pedal boating, go-karts and
reminds people of how these sisters dedicated theirplaying to your heart's content in a spalsh pool. For
lives to God without isolating themselves from thesports afficionados, there are football pitches,
world. Quite recently the Beguinages have been ablebasketball and volleybal courts, a tennis court, two
to hold public interest because of their inclusion to theskate ramps and a roller skating rink. The eco-house
World Heritage List by UNESCO.along with a permanent water exhibition attract a lot of
Things to do:visitor attention. Those who love nature can also find
Leuven is one place which can make you feel young.peace and solace watching the greenery, the tree
There is a continous feeling of learning and education.orchard and the blooming flower garden in the
No prizes for guessing why; Leuven is a "student city"recreation park.
with most of the citizens being students. The OldThose who prefer night entertainment, can visit some
Market is famous for bars and cafés. Onder denof the zaniest bars which are found around the Oude
Toog is well known for being Belgium's smallest barMarkt and the Grott Mart. For people who love
and a haven visitors who want to absorb the folkloreshopping, there is the Fochplein, which is famous for
and ambience of the Louven culture.popular shops selling everything from food to outfits.
A visitor cannot afford to miss the Rock WerchterThere are also some smaller shops in the market area
festival held for three days in July. Though the citywhich sell interesting as well as commonplace items.
radiates a Catholic sentiment, the festivals in LeuvenBe it the park, the bars, the museums or the univeristy;
do not have any religious or historic appeal. They arethe sheer magnetism and the chemisty of Leuven is
purely indulged in for fun, merriment and get-togethers.quite entertaining. The friendly hospitality of the
The Rock Werchter features rock bands from partsstudents of Leuven, the humor and the camaraderie
of Europe and the USA. The other music festivalshown by them to visitors is really commendable.