Some cities keep their past neatly stacked in stone. Leuven... well, Leuven kept its past by surviving disputes over books, belief, prestige, and who got to speak with authority. Here, grand facades, echoing squares, and the soft scrape of bicycle tires over cobbles all tell the same story: every rupture left a mark, and every mark became part of the city’s learning curve.
As you walk, your audio should begin automatically when you reach each stop. If it does not, just tap play manually. If Leuven’s winding streets try to outsmart you, the map in the app will get you back on track, and you can ask me questions in the chat at any stop. One local tip: watch for cyclists, mind uneven cobblestones, and give the squares a little room to breathe when they get busy.
We’ll begin where Leuven gathered its memory, lost it, rebuilt it, and argued over it all over again... head now to Leuven University Libraries.
