Leuven Attractions

Only a few kilometers east of Korbeek-Dijle are the five lakes of the recreation area and park t' Zoet Water (Gentle Water).

An interesting collection of herbs is found in this garden.

Just 2km/1mile southwest of Leuven at Heverlee the Kasteel van Arenberg (16th C.) on the Dijle has fine grounds and is well worth a visit. The château with its two striking corner towers with gabled roofs was built in traditional late Gothic style with Renaissance features and today is property of the Catholic University, which maintains several institutes here and in the grounds.

The IJse, a tributary of the Dijle, flows through peaceful green countryside to the southwest of Leuven, where vegetables, especially chicory, are grown and grapes are pressed.

The Keizersberg at the end of Mechelsestraat is crowned by the Keizersberg Abbey, built in neo-Romantic style in the last century on the site of the former castle of the Dukes of Brabant.

North of Sint-Gertrudiskerk stands the Smaller Béguinage, founded in the 13th C. The present day houses in traditional brick and sandstone were built in the 17th and 18th C.

The church of Korbeek-Dijle has an outstanding carved altar representing the life of St Stephan from 1522.

A museum and gallery found on the ground floor of Erasmus College. It contains anonymous works from all over the world and others by Picasso, Magritte, Delcaux and Delahaut.

The festival lasts for three days in May. The celebrations starts on Friday evening and continue on Saturday and Sunday with a festival of street theater featuring artists from Belgium and abroad. The artists will perform in a surprising way in parades and on open-air theaters. The highlight would be the original parade with over 1,000 participants, 200 horses, wagons, giants and dragons.

This museum includes a fine art collection and historical lounges from 19th C. mansions.

The Museum van Humbeeck-Piron on the ring road west of the Keizersberg is dedicated to the work of the Leuven artists Pierre van Humbeeck (1891-1964) and Maria Piron (1888-1969).

The IJse continues to the town of Overijse, the birthplace of the humanist Justus Lipsius (1547-1606).

The building to the left of the town hall is a reconstruction of 1921. Named the Tafelrond, it is the meeting house of the rhetoricians' guild, built at the end of the 15th C. by de Layens.

For the visitor interested in Flemish films there is the Vlaams Filmmuseum in Boekhandelstraat, a short street to left of the town hall from the market.