Leuven (or Louvain for the French speakers out there) is a college town not far from Brussels, Belgium. Because Leuven is in the northern part of the country, the local language is Flemish and not French (as is most of the southern part of the country). Actually, unbeknownst to me, the country has a third official language, German, spoken in a small section of the south-east.
Leuven itself is famous throughout Europe for a few things. First, as a college town, it's home to fourteen different universities and over 48,000 students. I'm studying at what is locally called the "Irish school", known as such, and yes I'm being obvious, because it was founded by the Irish in the 1600s (one of many such Irish schools throughout Europe). It is connected to the university I'll be studying at in Galway come Monday.
The second thing Leuven is famous for is its Town Hall, built in the 1400s, in the late-Gothic style (as you can see below). I would definitely say this is one of the most ornate buildings I have ever seen. It is adorned with hundreds of statues that sit on pediments arranged on the three stories of the building and its towers. Unfortunately several buildings were bombed out during World War II and had to be rebuilt to look as their originals did. However, fortunately the Town Hall, one of the most famous in Europe, remained untouched and stands as it did when it was built hundreds of years ago.
Town Hall. Click on the picture and try to get a close up view of the many statutes that surround its walls. Very cool.
The town square, similar to many in Europe, really isn't a square but a long rectangle. As you can see, it houses several restaurants and pubs. Because so many students study here, the square gets pretty full every night. It's one of my favorite features of the city.
P.S. - I have more photos I'd like to share of Leuven, but I'm having trouble uploading them. I have no idea why, but it is very choosy about which photos will work and which photos won't. Any help figuring it out would be greatly appreciated.
5 comments:
I am glad you have internet again and can post. It is great to see where you are. I can imagine you just love hanging out in the pubs with all your fellow students. Try resizing the pics so they are smaller (remember to save under a different name so you don't loose the original).
Love and miss you
HOSH
Beautiful, beautiful, wish I was there. I don't know how you are getting any studying done with so many cool things to see. Hope to see more pictures soon. Love you.
-Carol
I am SO jealous of you right now! I am also SO glad we have all this technology that keeps us close and I get to experience this with you. Thanks for sharing.
About the languages: 60% speaks Dutch, 40% speaks French and less then 1 percent speaks German. Have a nice time in Leuven!
Hey hottie, it's Susan. You're a world traveler. Wish we could see ya more often!
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