A couple of days in Leuven were enough to bring back all the nice memories of one year that I spent here 16 years ago. I remembered the streets, my walk to the university, found the shop where I did my grocery shopping, even the hospital where I went when I hurt my eye, thought about my friends and teachers, and shared all of this with my husband. It was so great to be back in the city with him. We had dinner in the restaurant that I couldn't afford during my studies and it was even better than expected - worth all of these years of waiting 😊
Today, I would like to show you around the city that I used to call my home and that helped to steer my life in the direction that I'm enjoying now. I'm so grateful for the time that I could spend in Leuven.
Let's go!
There are a few long streets that lead you from the train station to the main square. This is the widest street in the city, and there are plenty of boutiques here, so you can enjoy shopping as much as you wish. We visited Leuven on Sunday, and all shops were closed and it was very quiet, but during the week this street is buzzing with life, and I personally prefer to walk on a quieter street next to it.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the train station to the Grote Markt. It's the largest square in the city with guild houses dating back to the 14th century. The most beautiful construction here is the Stadhuis or the city hall. It's the building that I admired from the day one.
I must admit that I have never been inside even though the city services were still held in this building because all the administration for me was done directly at the university. Today, it has a ceremonial function and there are guided tours available, so I'll show you around next time because we'll be in Leuven again in December.
I think it is impossible to grasp all the detail on the façade. There are 236 statues which were added in the 19th century. They represents sins and punishments from the bible. Every time I see something like this I wonder why it always has to be about sins, punishment, or pain, and why couldn't they have picked positive aspects from the bible? Don't get me wrong, I love this decoration, but it does make you think...
Each statue is dressed in the style of the period in which they lived. I could spot some aristocracy, bishops, peasants and soldiers.
The Stadhuis reminds me of the city hall in Brussels, it's only a bit smaller.
Another landmark on the Grote Markt is the Sint-Pieterskerk or St. Peter's Church. You can see from afar that it's not a (what I would call) standard church. Why? It doesn't really have a belltower and it's not so tall. Let's come closer...
The church was built in the 15th century in the place where previously stood an old Romanesque church. It took 2 centuries to complete it and at that time there was a tower (even though not really high) which collapsed, and was never rebuilt.
Leuven was badly damaged during both World Wars, and the church wasn't an exception. It was bombed during the World War II, and reconstructed later.
When I came here for the first time I struggled to find the main entrance because I was not so sure where is the front of the church 😊 It would have been much easier with the tower!
Here it is...
You can visit the church outside of the ceremonies. The opening hours are short, so make sure to check them in advance of your visit.
Let's go inside!
I like visiting churches because this is where you can see what we are capable of building. These vaults many meters above the ground level, large windows with stained glass or other decoration, so much details that required countless hours of planning, amazing craftmanship, and the ability to build something with ever present serenity that makes you feel at peace.
I also liked the modern touch of the lights
You can visit the church free of charge, and enjoy many artworks placed around the aisles. There are guided tours or you can simply download an app and follow the signs to get more information.
From the church we walked to my favourite Oude Markt, or the Old square. When you're like to party this is the place to be. Leuven has about 30000 students who love to go out, so there are plenty of bars along the square. I think that there is literally no building at the square without some sort of a bar in it.
It's probably not the best place to stay over as you won't be able to sleep at night.
We also saw a lady inviting visitors to take a photo with her...
Did you know that Leuven is home of Stella Artois beer? I could see the brewery from my windows 😊 I don't think that we had small beers in Slovakia (or I have never seen one), so when I found small Stella Artois bottle in Leuven I had to bring a few of them to my family.
The poster says: Buy local. Stella! Good for the environment.
We saw some squares, but streets of Leuven are beautiful too, so let's walk around a bit...
It was Sunday before lunch, so the streets were almost empty. You don't want to wake up so early after a long night of partying...
As usually while travelling, we were dreaming of buying a property here until one of our colleagues who lives in Belgium told us that the houses here are one of the most expensive in Belgium and it is better to buy a property outside of the city and commute. Apparently, there are a few castles waiting for their new owners 😊
It always amazes me when I see palm trees in Belgium or The Netherlands. How do they survive winters?
Oh, and this is the theatre...
Old and new in one photo - beautiful mural in the back, bronze statue in front of it.
If it was possible to eat without any physical restrictions I would go to every single restaurant here...
And this is the street where I lived - you can also see the exact house on this photo...
After we walked to the train station and back, we returned to the Grote Markt to pick up the car, and then we drove back to Switzerland.
We had such a great time in Leuven and I'm happy that we decided to spend a few days here before Christmas. I can't wait to see the Christmas market!
See you next time...
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Fantastic article @plantfuljourney friend!... And a impressive street photography stuff!... WOW!
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Thank you! They are nothing like your street photography 😉
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@jlinaresp(2/15) tipped @plantfuljourney
It's such a beautiful city. Normally we only get to visit or hear about the bigger cities like Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp or maybe Ghent. The others seems to drop under the radar, at least from mine. I guess with Belgium being a small country, I should get around more when I get the chance, Leuven seems like the perfect choice
When you get a chance try Mechelen or Hasselt too. They are also very pretty. I actually didn't get to see many bigger cities except of Brussels and Antwerp, but I hope to go to Brugge as I've heard it's really beautiful...
Mechelen!! I been there, I forgot about that. I worked there on a project for three months. Flew into Brussels airport every Monday morning, caught a taxi to the office, and flew out Friday or Thursday evening if I was lucky. I think I only saw Mechelen town at daytime once or twice during that period. All the other times were just restaurants near the hotel in the evenings 🥴
Brugge is very pretty, I liked that
It's different when you travel for work 😉 I actually also been there to visit the office that we had there... I didn't know it was such a business hub 😂
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The architecture of the Stadhuis reminded me of the Stadhuis in Bruges, the exterior seems so similar. The city is really nice, love the atmosphere. Some of the streets look very identical to Lille city streets. Are there any specific reasons why the property price is high in this city?
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful city with us Martina. Have a lovely weekend...
I have never been to Brugge, and will have to change it one day 😊 In fact, I have never even heard of Lille 😂
I think that it's because it's so close to Brussels, but it is much quieter and you can easily commute to work. Also, it is a great investment as there are so many students, and they need a place to live, so you can easily rent it out.
Thank you for stopping by! Have a lovely weekend too, and talk to you soon!
Incredible!!! 😍
Beautiful photographs 🖤
Thank you!
You're welcome
Stunning architecture! great images!
Thank you!
That's so cool to return to a place that represented 'home' for you a while ago, but as a tourist. It simply gives a different mood and energy! I know that feeling very well as I use to do it the same with the place where I lived during the college years :)
It was like coming back home again 😊 I'm happy with how my life turned out, but at that time I would have loved to stay there 😁
Very nice pictures good job
Beautiful structures. I love the photographs.
It's really beautiful, it can spoil your eyes, it's really entertaining to see its beauty🥰
Que hermosa ciudad 🌆, es verdad que el mundo está lleno de arquitecturas preciosas 🤩🤩 @plantfuljourney gracias por compartir tan linda experiencia del monasterio Stadhuis !!!
Jesus, what great photos, what a wonderful and extensive post