Photo Galleries

Leuven

August 2015

The city of Leuven (Louvain in French) is home to a famous university founded in 1425, to the Stella Artois brewery, and to one of the gaudiest Gothic city halls in Flanders. The university library became a cause celebre in World War I when occupying German soldiers burned it to the ground. It was rebuilt with donations from schools and libraries around the world. Our visit to Leuven coincided with a city festival, and the carnival rides and stands selling snail sandwiches made a fun counterpoint to the traditional buildings.

Details of Leuven's Gothic city hall

The library of Leuven University, which was rebuilt with donations from universities around the world after it was burned by German soldiers in World War I

The names of donor institutions are carved on the outside of the library, including this one from Melissa's home town right by the front door

Other donors included a university where Chris's father taught and a women's organization based in Washington, DC

A map in the library of the locations of donors in the United States

Books salvaged from the fire that destroyed the first library are on display in an exhibition about book burning

Street art in Leuven

Leuven's gaudy 15th-century city hall

A carpet of flowers laid in the plaza between the city hall and St. Peter's church

The flower carpet (part of a city festival) with St. Peter's church in the background

St. Peter's church was built in the 15th century like the city hall, but in a much more restrained Gothic style

A surprisingly modern looking medieval head of Christ

A riotous Gothic pulpit in St. Peter's church

This 1460s painting by Flemish artist Dirk Bouts set the last supper in a typical Flemish dining room of the 15th century

A lovely Madonna and child in St. Peter's church

Leuven's Great Market square

Wonderful old buildings on Great Market square

The nautical themes on this building include ropes around the windows and seagulls below the ship weathervane

So many types and eras of gables

Rides at the city festival taking place in Leuven when we visited

Would this fly on a carnival ride in the United States? We wonder

Another difference from fairs in the United States: fast food snails