Leuven

It's the city where I live and although small it has a lot of things to discover. Depending on your preferred activities you would cover it in a half or full day. 

Leuven is an University city and a very popular destination for Erasmus & PHD students, as it is rated as one of the top Universities in Europe. On top of this, the city is very safe and offers an active life out. Have a look what you can visit if there. 

Grote Markt

The City Hall

Built in a Brabantine Late Gothic style between 1448 and 1469, it is famous for its ornate architecture, crafted in lace-like detail. The initial plans, influenced by the City hall at Brussels, included a belfry tower at one of the corners. This design was modified by de Layens, resulting in the symmetrical arrangement of turrets observed today. In the 19th century, the city Hall underwent renovations made necessary by centuries' worth of decay. The building remained standing amid the devastation of Leuven during World War I, escaping with only minor damage. In the Second World War, a bomb strike in front of the building caused yet more damage; it took until 1983 before repairs were completed. (Source)

St Pieter's Church 

Built mainly in the 15th century in Brabantine Gothic style, the church has a cruciform floor plan and a low bell tower that has never been completed. It is 93 meters long.

Oude Markt 

The longest bar in the world, that's what Leuven's Oude Markt is called. Around forty cafes on one square means that students and locals never get thirsty. This is the main going out place. It's really amazing on a sunny day in summer when all cafes have the tables and chairs outside and from the top it looks like a huge terrace. Also awesome location for Footbal events, such as World or Europe Cup when the whole market dresses up in the t-shirts of their favorite teams. 

Kotmadam

"located in the center of the Old Market, the statue dates from 1984 and was sculpted by Fred Bellefroid. A "kotmadam" is a woman that keeps order in student houses. In memory of all "kotmadammen" who would do their best to accommodate and take care of their students from all over the world, the town established this statue. Locals and tourists use "de kotmadam" as a meeting point or to park their bikes." (Source) 

Fons Sapientiae - "Fonske"

aka Fountain of Wisdom; The statue represents a university student who pours wisdom into his head by reading a book. (Source)

Ladeuzeplain: Library, Totem, Balloon 

Totem

The name of the sculpture is 'totem' and is a work by Belgian artist Jan Fabre, who also covered a ceiling of the Belgian Royal Palace in bugs. This very unusual sculpture decorates the square in front of the historic University Library in Leuven. Its appearance becomes much less bizarre if you know the artist's intention.
The sculpture was erected in 2005 to commemorate the 575 years of venerable Catholic University of Leuven. A library is a collection of knowledge, carefully handpicked, cataloged, and put away for safekeeping, somewhat like a bug in an insect collection. Furthermore, the anatomy of an insect is reminiscent of a clockwork, a tiny precise mechanism, a product of science and technology. (Source)

Library

Had a hard life and the current building only arose from 1921 to 1928. It was designed by the American architect Whitney Warren (1864-1943) in the style known as neo-renaissance of the Low Countries. From the outset the building was conceived as a monument, and has been classified as such since 1987. As the Central Library of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, it now houses more than a million volumes.(Source)

Balloon

Ode to Friendship, it is a hot air balloon rising up into the sky bearing three men and a dog. It was made by Danny Tulkens. (Source) The statue was built as a reminder that the first gas-filled balloon ascended in Leuven on 20 November 1783, on the lawn of the Arenberg castle, under the impulse of professor Jan Pieter Minckelers. The historical location wasn't chosen lightly: duke Engelbert of Arenberg was the main sponsor of the project. (Source)

Botanical Garden

In 1738 the University created this botanical garden for students of Medicine. Now the garden is used for scientific research as well as being a green oasis in the centre of the city for locals and visitors alike. 
You will find an amazing collection of trees and shrubs in the 2.2 hectare garden. In addition to the collection of herbs, water and tub plants the 450 msq.m. greenhouse complex showcases the diversity of tropical and subtropical plants. (Source)

Begijnhof

The Grand Beguinage of Leuven, or in Dutch Groot Begijnhof van Leuven is a well preserved and completely restored historical quarter containing a dozen of streets in the south of downtown Leuven. About 3 hectares (7.5 acres) in size, with some 300 apartments in almost 100 houses, it is one of the largest still existing beguinages in the Low Countries. The beguinage stretches on both sides of the river Dijle, which splits into two canals inside the beguinage, thus forming an island. Three bridges connect the parts of the beguinage. The complete beguinage is owned by the University of Leuven and used as a campus, especially for housing students and academic guests. (source)

M-Museum

Opened in 2009 the M- Museum soon managed to made itself heard in the filed of art. In 2016 they held the exposition of the celebration of 500 years since Utopia, which was first publish in Leuven.  A the beginning of the exposition you could read on the wall "Hope is a powerful human motivator, it holds out the promise of happiness, but also the risk of disappointment and failure. Thomas More's Utopia exhibition"

Looking forward to seeing the new projects that they plan for the second half of 2017 and the M Museum will reopen ins doors with some surprises 

Stella Artois 

At Stella Artois, we are extremely proud of our Belgian roots.
Our story can be seen on every bottle of Stella Artois. If you look closely, hints of our origins are proudly displayed.
By 1366 roots of our brewing tradition had been established in the city of Leuven, Belgium - which is also where the original Den Hoorn brewery was founded. Den Hoorn laid the foundation for the quality taste and standard Stella Artois is known for. The symbol of the Den Hoorn Brewery is proudly displayed in Stella Artois' cartouche to this day.
Sebastian Artois was admitted to the Leuven Brewer's Guild as a Brew Master in 1708, and only nine years later purchased the Den Hoorn brewery. In memoriam, you can find his last name on the brewery and every bottle of Stella Artois around the world.
The Artois Brewery was so beloved internationally and locally, a special batch was created as a Christmas gift to the people of Leuven. That special batch was the first to officially include "Stella" in its name. "Stella", meaning star in Latin, pays homage to this original occasion, accompanied by a star on every bottle.
So next time you see a bottle of Stella Artois, take note of the rich history paired with the rich flavor on and in every bottle. (Source) 

In Leuven, Stella is of course the mostly drink beer. it was served in glass only used in Leuven, now it changed to the regular fancy glass. The glass had 250ml and it is called pintje. But if you order a the bar you should not struggle saying it right it is enough to show the little finger and they will know (if you want to have more than one then first show the amount and then the little finger). Below is a picture of the local famous glass, which will soon disappear from all remaining places and will be replaced by the fancy glass with a leg which you find all around the world. 

Arenberg Castle 

The lords of Heverlee built a first castle here in the 14th century. The van Croy family acquired the domain in 1446. From the beginning of the 16th century the current castle was built in renaissance-style. It was extensively renovated in neo-gothic style in the 19th century. In 1916 the duke of Arenberg donated the domain to the university. The castle is now used by the Engineering Science faculty of the K.U.Leuven and is the focal point of a green campus for the group Sciences&Technology. (Source)

Street Art 

I am collecting streetart from Leuven, so keep an eye on the streetart tab for more on it. 

Eating Out?

when it comes to food, Leuven is a treasure. I live here 7 years now and I did not manage to discover all restaurants and I eat out a lot, so much that we have decided recently to review all restaurants we go out eat, so keep an eye on
Blog: BudgetGourmand 
Twitter: @budget_gourmand
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/budgetgourmand/
Instagram: @lvngourmand

as you can see Leuven is a amazing little city where you can enjoy a lovely weekend, come here on Thursdays for best student parties, in summer for great weekend events or winter for wintertijd in Leuven, the rest of the year is great as well, but just to give you an idea on when main things are happening....to be fair there is always something going on in Leuven.