Leuven

Coordinates: 50°53′N 04°42′E / 50.883°N 4.700°E / 50.883; 4.700
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Louvain
)

Leuven
Louvain (French)
Löwen (German)
Leuven Town Hall in 2019
Flag of Leuven
Coat of arms of Leuven
Location of Leuven
Map
Leuven is located in Belgium
Leuven
Leuven
Location in Belgium
Location of Leuven in Flemish Brabant
CD&V
Area
 • Total57.51 km2 (22.20 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-01-01)[1]
 • Total101,032
 • Density1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi)
DemonymLeuvener
Postal codes
3000, 3001, 3010, 3012, 3018
NIS code
24062
Area codes016
Websitewww.leuven.be
of Leuven

Leuven (UK: /ˈlɜːvən/, Dutch: [ˈløːvə(n)] ) or Louvain (/lˈvæ̃/, US also /lˈvn/, French: [luvɛ̃]; German: Löwen [ˈløːvn̩] ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Leuven proper, Wilsele, Wijgmaal and part of Haasrode and Korbeek-Lo. It is the eighth largest city in Belgium, with more than 100,244 inhabitants.[2]

Leuven has been a university city since 1425. This makes it the oldest university city in the Low Countries. KU Leuven, the largest Dutch-speaking university in the world and the largest university in the Low Countries (and thus also Belgium's largest university), has its flagship campus in Leuven.[3]

The city is home of the headquarters of

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest beer brewer[4] and sixth-largest fast-moving consumer goods company.[5]

History

Middle Ages

"Loven ou Louvain" on the Ferraris map (around 1775)

The earliest mention of Leuven (Loven) dates from 891, when a Viking army was defeated by the Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia (see: Battle of Leuven). According to a legend, the city's red and white arms depict the blood-stained shores of the river Dyle after this battle, similarly to the flag of Austria.

Situated beside this river, and near to the stronghold of the Dukes of Brabant, Leuven became the most important centre of trade in the duchy between the 11th and 14th centuries. A token of its former importance as a centre of cloth manufacture is shown in that ordinary linen cloth was known, in late-14th-century and 15th-century texts, as lewyn (other spellings: Leuwyn, Levyne, Lewan(e), Lovanium, Louvain).[6]

Early modern period

In the 15th century, a new golden era began with the founding of the largest and oldest university in the

Quinten Metsys
was born and trained in Leuven.

By the turn of the 16th century, Leuven had become a major European center for art and knowledge with humanists like

Johannes Molanus and classical studies with Justus Lipsius
.

18th and 19th centuries

View over Leuven, late 19th century

In the 18th century, the brewery Den Horn (meaning "the horn") flourished. In 1708, Sebastien Artois became the master brewer at Den Horn, and gave his name to the brewery in 1717, now part of AB InBev, whose flagship beer, Stella Artois, is brewed in Leuven and sold in many countries.

Leuven developed considerably during the 19th century. Dozens of squares were created, including the Sint-Jacobsplein, the Volksplaats (today's Ladeuzeplein) and the Statieplein (today's Martelarenplein).[8] From 1835, the streets of the city were lit with gas.[9] The Voer stream was vaulted, the channels occupying the middle of the streets were removed, a number of narrow streets were widened or simply destroyed and a considerable number of sewers were installed. The municipal theatre and the main post office were built, respectively in 1866 and between 1893 and 1895.[10] It was also at this time that the central prison was built.

20th century

World War I

The ruins of the Catholic University of Leuven's library after it was burned by the German army in 1914

Leuven has several times been besieged or occupied by foreign armies; these include the

New York Tribune, was in Leuven and wrote a column titled "The Germans Were Like Men After an Orgy" in which he described the organized civilian murders and vandalism committed by the occupying troops.[20]

World War II

In World War II, after the start of the

River Senne on the night of 16 May and the town was occupied the next day.[21] The new university library building was set on fire by shelling, on 16 May, and nearly a million books were lost.[22]

Climate

Climate data for Leuven (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.6
(43.9)
7.7
(45.9)
11.6
(52.9)
15.9
(60.6)
19.5
(67.1)
22.3
(72.1)
24.4
(75.9)
24.1
(75.4)
20.5
(68.9)
15.6
(60.1)
10.4
(50.7)
7.0
(44.6)
15.5
(59.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)
4.4
(39.9)
7.2
(45.0)
10.4
(50.7)
14.1
(57.4)
17.1
(62.8)
19.2
(66.6)
18.8
(65.8)
15.5
(59.9)
11.6
(52.9)
7.4
(45.3)
4.5
(40.1)
11.2
(52.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.2
(34.2)
1.0
(33.8)
2.8
(37.0)
4.9
(40.8)
8.8
(47.8)
11.9
(53.4)
14.0
(57.2)
13.5
(56.3)
10.5
(50.9)
7.5
(45.5)
4.3
(39.7)
1.9
(35.4)
6.9
(44.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.4
(2.77)
62.2
(2.45)
54.5
(2.15)
43.3
(1.70)
55.5
(2.19)
67.3
(2.65)
72.7
(2.86)
79.5
(3.13)
60.5
(2.38)
62.8
(2.47)
68.5
(2.70)
83.5
(3.29)
780.7
(30.74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 12.7 11.6 11.1 8.9 9.6 9.6 10.0 10.2 9.8 10.6 11.8 13.6 129.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 59 74 129 181 210 211 217 204 160 117 66 50 1,678
Source: KMI/IRM[23]

Economy

Given the presence of the KU Leuven, Europe's most innovative university according to Reuters,[24] much of the local economy is concentrated on spin-offs from academic research. In addition, the Leuven-based research centre, IMEC, is a research centre in the field of nano-electronics and digital technologies. As a result, dozens of companies in high technological fields such as biotech, robotics, additive manufacturing and IT, are located near these research institutes on the Arenberg Science Park and Haasrode Research-Park. Quite a few international companies such as Siemens,[25] Huawei,[26] Nitto Denko, JSR Corporation or Commscope have important, often research oriented branches, in Leuven. The academic hospital UZ Leuven, first in Europe regarding the number of clinical tests per capita and approval rates for clinical trials, UZ Leuven is another advanced research institute. It is one of Europe's largest academic hospitals. As a result, large numbers of private service providers are active in the medical, financial and legal fields.

Because it is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant, many governmental institutions are located in Leuven, as well as the regional headquarters of transport corporations such as De Lijn. As one of Flanders Art-Cities,[27] with a large range of cafés, restaurants, cultural institutions and shopping neighbourhoods, Leuven also attracts a growing number of tourists.

Leuven is the worldwide headquarters of

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer company in the world and is considered one of the largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in the world. InBev's Stella Artois brewery and main offices dominate the entire north-eastern part of the town, between the railway station and the canal to Mechelen. Finally, Leuven is the ancestral home of the KBC Group
. KBC is one of the leading financial groups in Europe. It is a multi-channel bank-insurance group, with a geographic focus on Belgium and Central Europe, catering mainly to retail clients, SMEs and local midcaps. As one of the largest companies in Belgium and it has its insurance and auto lease HQ in Leuven.

Demographics

As of 1 November 2016[update], the population of Leuven was 100,244. The arrondissement of Leuven counted 494,189 in 2014.

The city itself is made up out of the centre of Leuven (30,313), Kessel-Lo (29,147), Heverlee (22,521), Wilsele (9,786) and Wijgmaal (3,592).

Student population

Leuven has a large international student population, mainly concentrated around the city centre. The

hogescholen
(universities of applied sciences), such as the UC Leuven-Limburg (UCLL).

Transport

Within the city and its immediate surroundings, most distances can be covered on foot or with a bicycle. Several streets are off-limits to vehicle traffic and, within the city centre, road speed regulations prescribe 30 km/h (19 mph) as the maximum speed limit, making it a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city. There are also a few car parking lots.

There are numerous buses, primarily operated by the public transport company De Lijn, that connect the city with the region while providing travel options within the city centre. The so-called Ringbus follows the ring road of the city. Buses 91 and 616 connect Leuven with Brussels Airport.

Ottignies). In Bierbeek, south-east of Leuven, lies the beginning of HSL 2
, the high-speed railway towards Liège.

The European route E40 passes Leuven in the south, the European route E314 connects Leuven with the city of Aachen.

Politics

Mayor

The governing coalition of Leuven consists of

Open VLD (2 seats), PVDA (1 seat) and Vlaams Belang (1 seat).[29]

Culture

One of Belgium's conservatories is based in Leuven: the Lemmens Institute, which is described as "Faculty of Music, Performing Arts and Education". It is known for its music therapy education and its wordart-drama education. Kunstencentrum STUK is a cultural centre and venue in the city center for music, theatre, sound art, and dance. Leuven holds a summer rock festival, Marktrock. Leuven has some university orchestras, such as the University Symphony Orchestra [nl] (USO),[30] the University Symphonic Band [nl] (UHO).[31] and the Arenberg Orchestra [nl].[32][33]

In September 2009, the M – Museum Leuven opened in Leuven. It is a museum for both contemporary and historical art, located near het Ladeuzeplein. It has hosted exhibitions by international artists such as Angus Fairhurst, Sol LeWitt, Roe Ethridge and Charles Burns as well as Belgian artists such as Ilse D'Hollander, Jan Vercruysse, Antoon Van Dyck and Freek Wambacq.

Leuven has a rich beer culture, being the birthplace of several beers such as Stella Artois,[7] Leuvense Tripel, Domus[7] and Keizersberg. It has several bars priding themselves in offering a wide variety of local and international beers, including a bar that claims to offer more than 3000 different beers.

The Higher Institute of Philosophy holds the archives of the German philosopher Edmund Husserl.

Sport

Leuven was voted European City of Sport for 2021, highlighted by hosting the UCI Road World Championships, which will follow several routes of the Grote Prijs Jef Scherens, a yearly cycling race in and around Leuven. The city also hosts the start of the Brabantse Pijl, a semi-classic race and the Cyclocross Leuven is a cyclo-cross race held each year in January.

The main football club of the municipality is Oud-Heverlee Leuven, successor of prior clubs Daring Club Leuven and Stade Leuven. Both the men's team and OH Leuven women play at the highest level. The city's prime basketball team is the Leuven Bears, they play their home games at the SportOase. Other known top-tier teams include IHC Leuven (ice hockey), KHC Leuven (field hockey) , Leuven aquatics(waterpolo) and VC Haasrode-Leuven (volleyball). Daring Club Leuven Atletiek is one of the oldest athletics clubs in Belgium, where 1964 Olympic gold medallist Gaston Roelants was a member.

There is also a GAA club in Leuven, the club is named, 'the Earls of Leuven', after the

The Gaelic Athletic Association

Buildings and landmarks

Secular

Fonske was designed by Jef Claerhout.
  • Sint-Donatus Park contains remains of the medieval city wall.
  • Totem is a statue at the centre of the Ladeuzeplein; it is a work of the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. Featuring a 23-metre (75') high needle impaling a giant jewelled beetle, the statue towers over the square in front of the university library.
  • Fonske is a statue near the centre of town. Its full name is Fons Sapientiae, Latin for "fountain of wisdom". The statue represents a university student who, while reading a book, lets wisdom flow into his head as liquid from a glass. Just like Manneken Pis in Brussels, Fonske is, from time to time, dressed in costumes appropriate for specific occasions.

Religious

Colleges

The Old University of Leuven used to have 40 constituent colleges and 4 pedagogies, some of which are still being used by KU Leuven. The most notable ones are:

Gallery

  • View of the Oude Markt, by Wolfgang de Smet, c. 1650-1700
    View of the Oude Markt, by Wolfgang de Smet, c. 1650-1700
  • View of the Grote Markt, by Michael Neher, 1854
    View of the Grote Markt, by Michael Neher, 1854
  • Town hall
    Town hall
  • View of the Brusselsestraat from De Grote Markt
    View of the Brusselsestraat from De Grote Markt
  • The University Library
    The University Library
  • Fonske
    Fonske
  • Jacquemart at the Collegiate church in Leuven
    Jacquemart at the Collegiate church in Leuven
  • Castle Arenberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
    Castle Arenberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
  • Leuven train station
    Leuven train station
  • Groot-Begijnhof
    Groot-Begijnhof
  • Adrian-VI College
    Adrian-VI College
  • Martelarenplein
    Martelarenplein
  • Rector De Somerplein
    Rector De Somerplein
  • Oude Markt
    Oude Markt
  • St. Peter's church
    St. Peter's church

Notable people from Leuven

Born in Leuven

Lived in Leuven

International relations

Twin towns/sister cities

Leuven is

twinned
with:

Friendly relations

Aside from the aforementioned cities, Leuven has friendly relations with:

  • India New Delhi, India[44]
  • Tainan
    , Taiwan
  • South Africa Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • China Wuxi, People's Republic of China
  • Spain Ocaña, Spain "Ocaña".

Leuven has an 'adoptive village'

See also

References

Notes

  1. Wikidata Q12480
    , retrieved 2 June 2022
  2. ^ Federal Ministry of Home Affairs, 1 November 2016
  3. ^ "About KU Leuven". Kuleuven.be. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Top 10 Largest Beer Companies in the World 2020 | Top Beer Brands". Blog.technavio.com. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Top 10 FMCG Companies in the World 2021". Mbaskool.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Blaeu Atlas (UCLA Library – YRL Reference and Instructional Services)". Library.ucla.edu. 2 April 2003. Archived from the original on 27 October 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  7. ^ from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  8. ^ Van Even 1895, p. 97.
  9. ^ Van Even 1895, p. 96.
  10. ^ Diriken 2006, p. 24.
  11. ^ Michael S. Neiberg, Fighting the Great War: A Global History, Harvard University Press, 2005. p. 15.
  12. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Louvain" . Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
  13. .
  14. ^ a b Gibson, Craig (30 January 2008). "The culture of destruction in the First World War". Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  15. ^ Knuth 2006, p. 164.
  16. ^ Tuchman 1962, p. 321.
  17. ^ McNair, Arnold D. (1926). International Law: A Treatise, vol.2, Disputes, War and Neutrality. Longmans, Green and Co.
  18. from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  19. ^ The burning of the library of Leuven and the international response Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Mark Derez, 2012, University Archives KU Leuven (pp. 9–12)
  20. ^ "The Burning of Louvain – World War I Document Archive". Wwi.lib.byu.edu. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  21. ^ *Ellis, L. F. (1954) The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940 Archived 21 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. J. R. M. Butler (ed.). HMSO. London (p. 62)
  22. ^ Derez p. 13
  23. ^ "Climate data Leuven" (PDF). KMI/IRM. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  24. ^ "KU Leuven once again tops Reuters ranking of Europe's most innovative universities". Nieuws.kuleuven.be. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Siemens acquires LMS International". Lrd.kuleuven.be. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Huawei Launches New European Research Institute to Gear up European Digitization Progress and Achieve Win-Win Outcomes – Huawei Press Center". Huawei.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Flemish destinations". Visitflanders.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Aantal studenten". KU Leuven. 9 January 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  29. ^ Mertens, Bart (14 October 2018). "New coalition: sp.a/Groen/CD&V" [Nieuwe coalitie: sp.a/Groen/CD&V]. hln.be. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  30. ^ "USO – Homepage". Usoleuven.be. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  31. ^ "UHO". Uho.be. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Arenbergorkest". Arenbergorkest.be. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  33. ^ "Het Arenbergorkest - Leuvens studentenorkest". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  34. ^ "World Heritage List | Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  35. ^ "'Apostle of the Lepers,' Spanish mystic among 10 to be canonized". Catholicnewsagency.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  36. ^ "Pope Proclaims Five New Saints". Radio Vaticana. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  37. ^ Boeynaems, Libert H. (1913). "Father Damien (Joseph de Veuster)" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  38. ^ "Leuven & Park Abbey". Visitleuven.be. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Wie woont hier? – Norbertijnenabdij van Park". Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  40. ^ "Abdij Keizersberg". Abdijkeizersberg.be. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Al Fath | Al Fath Moskee". Alfath.be. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  42. ^ "Home". Alihsaan.be. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  43. ^ "Kraków – Miasta Bliźniacze" [Kraków – Twin Cities]. Miejska Platforma Internetowa Magiczny Kraków (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  44. ^ "Samenwerking tussen Leuven en New Delhi verankerd" (in Dutch). 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2017.

Bibliography

External links