CENTRAL AND EASTERN FLANDERS 161
Key to Symbols see back flap
E M van Museum Leuven
Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28.
Tel (016) 272929. # 11am–6pm
Tue–Sun, 11am–10pm Thu. &
http://www.mleuven.be
The former Museum Vander
Kelen-Mertens has now been
revamped as M to provide a
dynamic space for high-profile
tem po rary art exhibi tions and
under line Leuven’s claim to
be a major city of the arts.
The 17th-century red-brick houses
of Leuven’s Groot Begijnhof
The original collection still
remains in the 17th–18th
century mansion, owned by
the Vander Kelen-Mertens
family until it was donated to
the city in 1918. The rooms
were refur bished in a variety
of histori cal styles, ranging
from a Renaissance salon to a
Rococo dining room, each
with the appro priate
antique furni ture, silver-
ware and ceramics.
Much of the art on
permanent display is by
the early Flemish Masters,
inclu ding Quentin Metsys
(1466–1550), who was
born in Leuven and is
noted for introducing
Italian style to north-
ern European art. It
also houses a lovely
version of the Holy Trinity by
the famed artist, Rogier van
der Weyden (see p102).
R Groot Begijnhof
Schapenstraat.
Founded around 1230, the
Groot Begijnhof was once one
of the largest béguinages in
Belgium and home to several
hundred béguines (see p61).
The complex of 72 charming
red-brick cottages, dating
mostly from the 17th century,
glimpses of 15th-century life
in Flanders. Although he was
born in the Netherlands, Dirk
Bouts spent most of his work-
ing life in Leuven, where he
won himself a position as the
town’s official artist.
P Fochplein
Adjacent to the Grote
Markt, the Fochplein,
is a narrow triangular
square containing some
of Leuven’s most popular
shops, selling everything
from fashion to food. In
the middle is the Font
Sapienza, a modern art
installation in the shape
of a fountain that shows
a student pouring water
through his empty head:
a pithy view of the
town’s student population.
is set around grassy squares
and cobbled streets near the
River Dijle. The university in
Leuven bought it in 1962 and
converted the cottages into
student accommodation which
can be viewed from outside.
The Fochplein’s
witty fountain
0 metres
0 yards
200
200
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
64 km (40 miles) SE of Antwerp.
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LEUVEN
Fochplein 4
M van Museum
Leuven 5
Oude Markt 1
St-Pieterskerk 3
Stadhuis 2