City member

Leuven is renowned as a city of arts, innovation and creativity. The cosmopolitan character, created by 100.000 inhabitants, 55.000 students and over 170 nationalities, brings a constant stream of new ideas and possibilities. The University of Leuven exists since 1425 and is the largest university of the Low Countries and one of the oldest in the world. Spread out around the city there are many historical monuments and impressive modern buildings. The Gothic Town Hall and the Great Beguinage have been recognized as UNESCO world heritage sites. In the chapel of the Saint Peter’s Church you can admire ‘The Last Supper’, the masterpiece by famous Flemish Primitive Diric Bouts.

Leuven is also a city of historical organs. The first organ in our city had been build in 1427. Nowadays, there still are organs from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century. In total you can find more than 70 pipe organs in Leuven and the city created a concrete policy to take care of the rich organ heritage from 2012 on. Organ festival ‘Leuven Orgelstad’, the Young Organist Award and the formal appointment of a city organist as an artistic advisor, expert and organiser prove that Leuven is determined to promote the organ culture in the 21st century.