Sapientia aedificavit sibi domum
KU Leuven
KU Leuven bought the whole Great Beguinage in 1962 and spent 25 years restoring it, so a historic quarter of almost 100 houses is now university housing and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 4Buildings
- 3Traditions
- 1234Oldest · Great Beguinage, Leuven
- 1928Newest · KU Leuven University Library
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoBrussels Airport (BRU)
Brussels Airport is the closest major airport. Direct trains run from the airport station to Leuven.
- Getting aroundWalking / Bike / Bus
Leuven's centre is small and the university is everywhere in it, so walking or cycling is the norm.
- Colors and teams
Leuven is in Flanders, so Dutch is the local language, though many master's programmes are taught in English. The motto over the University Hall door is Latin: 'Wisdom has built herself a house'.
4 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Frie Van Grunderbeeck, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons University Hall, Leuven
Naamsestraat 22, 3000 Leuven
Begun in 1317 as Leuven's cloth hall, it became the heart of the university, with an upper floor added in the 1680s for teaching and the library. Burned in the Sack of Leuven in 1914 and restored in the 1920s, it is now KU Leuven's main administrative building.
- Built
- 1317
- Architect
- Unknown (medieval cloth hall)
- Style
- Gothic with Baroque additions
- Today
- University administration
-
Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons KU Leuven University Library
Mgr. Ladeuzeplein, 3000 Leuven
After the old library in University Hall burned in 1914, American architect Whitney Warren designed this new one on the Ladeuzeplein. Built between 1921 and 1928, it is a showpiece of neo-Flemish Renaissance style.
- Built
- 1928
- Architect
- Whitney Warren
- Style
- Neo-Flemish Renaissance
- Today
- University Library
-
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Great Beguinage, Leuven
Groot Begijnhof, 3000 Leuven
A whole medieval quarter of brick houses, canals and bridges, once home to communities of beguines. The university bought it in 1962 and restored it street by street under Professor Raymond Lemaire, and its early Gothic church is the widest in town.
- Built
- 1234
- Architect
- Raymond M. Lemaire (restoration)
- Style
- Flemish beguinage
- Today
- University housing
-
Photo: Juhanson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Arenberg Castle
Kasteelpark Arenberg, 3001 Heverlee
This brick-and-sandstone château, finished in 1515, was home to the Arenberg family until the First World War. The university acquired it in 1921, and it is now the main building of the Faculty of Engineering, with architecture studios inside.
- Built
- 1515
- Style
- Flemish Renaissance
- Today
- Faculty of Engineering
3 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Fonske
Fons Sapientiae ('Fountain of Wisdom') is a statue of a student pouring wisdom into his head while reading, given to the city by the university for its 550th anniversary in 1975. Student societies dress it up for special occasions, and visitors can stop for a photo on Rector De Somerplein.
University Library Carillon
The University Library tower holds one of Europe's largest carillons, a memorial gift from American engineers, and its main bell rings every hour. On tower visits the carillonneur takes visitors up to hear a live concert from the front row.
Totem on Ladeuzeplein
For its 575th anniversary in 2004, the university gave the city Jan Fabre's Totem, a giant jewel beetle stuck on a 23 m steel needle in front of the University Library. Visitors can take a photo of it on Ladeuzeplein.
Know KU Leuven well?
Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.
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Stamp all 4 on your visit.
Tour KU Leuven in 3D before you go, add it to a college road trip and earn a passport stamp at every building. Free on iPhone and iPad.
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