Leuven is a university town in the truest sense: its university, founded in 1425, shaped the city's buildings, squares and nightlife, and tens of thousands of students still fill its streets. It is also home to the headquarters of the world's largest brewer, a lace-like Gothic town hall and a library that was destroyed twice and rebuilt twice. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Leuven
- The first university in the Low Countries: Pope Martin V approved a university for Leuven in 1425. It was closed under French rule in 1797, and a Catholic university returned to the city in 1835.
- One university, two cities: in 1968, at the height of Belgium's language dispute, the university split in two. The Dutch-speaking KU Leuven stayed, while the French-speaking UCLouvain moved to Louvain-la-Neuve, a new town built for it in Wallonia.
- A town hall with 236 statues: the Gothic Town Hall was built between 1439 and 1469, but the 236 statues of saints, scholars, artists and local figures that decorate it were only added after 1850.
- Erasmus taught here: in 1517 the humanist Erasmus helped set up the Collegium Trilingue, where students learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
- The father of the Big Bang: Georges Lemaître, a Catholic priest and physics professor in Leuven, proposed in 1927 that the universe is expanding, and later that it began from a single primeval atom.
- A beetle on a needle: on Ladeuzeplein stands Totem, by the artist Jan Fabre, a giant jewel beetle pierced by a 23-metre steel needle. It was put up in 2004 for a university anniversary.
- Fonske, the student who pours wisdom into his head: the statue of a student reading a book while pouring water into his head, officially Fons Sapientiae, the fountain of wisdom, was made by Jef Claerhout in 1975 for the university's 550th anniversary.
- A brewing city: Leuven is home to the headquarters of AB InBev, the world's largest brewer, and Stella Artois traces its roots to the city's Den Hoorn brewery, which it dates back to 1366.
- A town within a town: the Groot Begijnhof, a walled quarter of brick houses, lanes and gardens where religious laywomen lived for centuries, is now owned by the university and has been part of the Flemish Béguinages World Heritage Site since 1998.
- A masterpiece still in its place: Dirk Bouts painted his Last Supper altarpiece between 1464 and 1468 for a brotherhood at St Peter's Church, and it still hangs in the church today.
The library that rose twice
On the night of 25 August 1914, German troops occupying Leuven set the city on fire. Among the buildings that burned was the university library in the old Cloth Hall, and with it hundreds of thousands of books, including medieval manuscripts and some of the earliest printed books. The destruction caused outrage around the world. After the war, donations from the United States paid for a new library on what is now Ladeuzeplein, designed by the American architect Whitney Warren in a Flemish Renaissance style. Work began in 1921 and the building opened in 1928. In May 1940, early in the Second World War, it burned again, and most of the collection was lost a second time. Rebuilt after the war largely to the original plans, it is still the university's central library, and its tall tower, with a carillon, dominates the square.
What to eat in Leuven
- Stoofvlees: Flemish beef stew slow-cooked in dark beer, usually served with fries.
- Fries: twice-fried and sold in paper cones from a frituur, with mayonnaise or one of dozens of other sauces.
- Waffles: the light, rectangular Brussels waffle or the dense, caramelised Liège waffle, both sold warm from stands and cafés.
- Local beer: besides Stella Artois, look out for beers from Leuven's smaller breweries in the cafés around the Oude Markt.
Good to know before you go
- The Oude Markt, lined almost entirely with cafés, is often called the longest bar in Europe. It is busiest on weekday evenings during term, since many students go home at weekends.
- M Leuven, the city's art museum, shows late medieval Flemish art alongside contemporary work.
- Brussels is less than half an hour away by train, and Brussels Airport is even closer.
- For a green break, walk out to Arenberg Castle and its park in Heverlee, now part of the university campus.
Explore Leuven with World City Trail
Our Leuven scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 25 minutes of walking, and takes you to the M Leuven museum, Ladeuzeplein and the University Library.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
Play the Leuven scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.