160 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

P Stadhuis
Grote Markt. Tel (016) 282317.

daily. & 8 obligatory; Apr–Sep:

11am and 3pm Mon–Fri and 3pm Sat
and Sun; Oct–Mar: 3pm daily.
Built between 1439 and 1463
from the profits of the cloth
trade, Leuven’s Stadhuis was
designed to demonstrate the
wealth of the city’s merchants.
This tall and distinctive build-
ing is renowned for its lavishly
carved and decorated façade.
A line of narrow windows rises
up over three floors beneath
a steeply pitched roof adorned
with dormer windows and

R St-Pieterskerk

Grote Markt. Tel (016) 295133.

# mid-Mar–mid–Oct: 10am–5pm

Mon; rest of year: 10am–5pm Tue–

Fri, 10am–4:30pm Sat, 2–5pm Sun.

Museum voor Religieuze Kunst

¢ 13–15 Aug. &

Across the square from the

Stadhuis rises St-Pieterskerk,

a massive church built over a

period of 200 years from the

1420s. The nave and aisles

were completed first, but

when the twin towers of the

western façade were finally

added in 1507, the foundations

proved inadequate and it soon

began to sink. With money in

short supply, it was decided

to remove the top sections of

the towers – hence the

truncated versions of today.

Inside the church, the sweep-

ing lines of the nave are

intercepted by an impres sive

1499 rood screen and a

Baroque wooden pulpit

depic t ing the conversion of St

Norbert (see p163). Norbert

was a wealthy but irreligious

German noble, who was hit

by lightning while riding. His

horse died, but he was unhurt

and this led him to devote

himself to the Church.

The church also houses the

Museum voor Religieuze Kunst

(Religious Art Museum) which

has three exquisite paintings by

Dirk Bouts (1415–75), includ-

ing his Last Supper triptych,

painted in 1468, and the gory

yet sedate Martyrdom of Saint

Erasmus. Both provide vivid

Located within easy striking distance of Brussels,
the historic Flemish town of Leuven traces its
origins to a fortified camp constructed here by
Julius Caesar. In medieval times, the town
became an important centre of the cloth trade,
but it was as a seat of learning that it achieved
international prominence. In 1425, Pope
Martin V and Count John of Brabant founded
Leuven’s university, and by the mid-1500s it
was one of Europe’s most pres tigious aca-
demic institutions, the home of such famous scholars as
Erasmus and Mercator. Today, the university exercises
a strong influence over the town, and its students give
Leuven a vibrant atmos phere. The bars and cafés flank-
ing the Oude Markt, a large square in the centre of
town, are especially popular. Adjoining the square is the
Grote Markt, a triangular open space boas ting two fine
medieval buildings, the Stadhuis and St-Pieterskerk.

P Oude Markt
This handsome, cobblestoned
square is flanked by a tasteful
ensemble of high-gabled
brick buildings. Some of these
date from the 18th century,
while others are compara-
tively new. At ground level,
these buildings house the
largest concentration of bars
and cafés in town, and as
such, attract the town’s univer-
sity students in droves.

pencil-thin turrets.

However, it is in

the exquisite quality

of its stone work

that the building

excels, with deli-

cately carved

tracery and detailed

medieval figures

beneath 300 niche

bases. There are

grotesques of every

description as well

as repre sentations of folktales

and biblical stories, all of

which are carved in an

exuberant late-Gothic style.

Within the niche alcoves are

19th-century statues depicting

local dignitaries and politi-

cians. Guided tours (in Dutch)

of the interior include three

lavish reception rooms.

Lively café society at the Oude Markt

Huge buttresses supporting the

Gothic structure of St-Pieterskerk

Leuven 8

Sculpture
at Stadhuis

The elaborate stonework and spires

of Leuven’s Gothic town hall

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp266–7 and pp292–4