Liberty Seminar

Nowadays Leuven is a real "student city", as during the academic year most citizens in its centre are students. Leuven sports one of the liveliest bar scenes in Belgium. Besides boasting the "longest bar" in Europe, the Old Market, tens of bars and cafés crammed into a central square in Leuven. The Catholic University Leuven is the oldest Catholic university still in existence.

Leuven, university town

The University of Leuven was founded almost six hundred years ago. Throughout the centuries people have always occupied centre stage at the Catholic University of Leuven. The University's academic fame has attracted scholars and scientists as Justus Lipsius, Gerard Mercator and Andreas Vesalius who have all made valuable contribution to the European intellectual life. The University of Leuven can look back on a glorious past, but it also moves with the times. The Universit's educational concept is modern, with research activities focused on the needs and aspirations of contemporary people and society.

The University of Leuven is famous not just within the borders of Belgium, but far beyond as well. Being a very lively city of and for students, Leuven aspires to maintain that reputation. In contrastto most university cities, Leuven does not have a closed campus. The University buildings are spread troughout the city and were originally built for completely different purposes.

Leuven, city of beer

Amid all these leisure activities it seems surprising that Leuven finds any time to work; but it does. In the Middle Ages all commercial activities were centred at the Dylehaven, near the present-day Fish Market. The focus began to change in the 18th century and breweries and other parts of the food industry started to spread along the banks of the Leuven-Mechelen canal.

When brewing became a nationwide industry in the 19th century, Leuven became world famous for its beers, and today is still proud to be known as the beer capital of Belgium.

InBev/Stella Artois Headquarters

The history of Stella Artois is closely connected with the history of Leuven. The foundation of the university of Leuven in 1425, the digging of the canal Leuven-Rupel in the 18th century, two industrial revolutions and two world wars; all were events that played a fundamental part in the development of this beer town and... of the brewery Artois.

When the name of the brewery 'Den Horen' (the Horn) turns up for the first time in the ducal levy records (1366) it marks only the beginning of a brilliant success story, because in 1537 this brewery had already developed into the most important enterprise in Leuven.

In 1717 'Den Horen' was under control of master-brewer Sebastien Artois and thus for more than a century all the brewer's know-how was handed down from father to son.

Around the turn of the century the brewing of the golden Pilsbeer of low fermentation was started up at Artois. In 1926 - and this for the first time - the brewery brought a barley beer onto the market and called it with the name 'Stella', the Latin word for 'Star'. The famous 'stella', a 'star' in the Brewers' Sky, is a beer that makes beer-fanciers feel at home.

Townhall of Leuven

The old market: the "longest bar" of Europe