How to celebrate one’s 600th anniversary? Belgium’s oldest university marks the occasion with a multitude of exhibitions, lectures, and other events throughout the year. The art and science route, officially inaugurated on 17 May, is the latest addition to an already very festive year.
In 1425, a papal bull named ‘Sapientie immarcessibilis’ marked the start of what would later become Belgium’s largest university and one of the oldest in Europe. Initially, four faculties were founded: humanities, canon law, civil law, and medicine. Over the centuries, people such as Andreas Vesalius, Gerardus Mercator, and Desiderius Erasmus would mark the university’s history.
600 years later, that unique heritage is being celebrated throughout 2025. Visitors and locals alike are invited to (re)discover KU Leuven’s history, from its university hall to the Arenberg Castle and Park. A number of thematic walks can be followed with a self-guiding app, such as ‘From the Old to the New Erasmus House’ or ‘A Century of female students in Leuven’. Every weekend, visitors can join a tour with an expert guide who takes them to one of the university’s heritage sites or collections.
Art and science route And So, Change Comes in Waves
Specially developed for the 600th anniversary of the KU Leuven, an art and science route called And So, Change Comes in Waves takes visitors past 16 new pieces of art throughout the city, developed by over 70 scientists of the university, 8 poets, and 8 artists. The route is meant to show everyone how art and science reinforce one another. Considering research topics and social issues: How malleable are human beings? What is the power of not knowing? And how can education be made even more inclusive?
“You cannot isolate a wave from the sea: it is part of a larger whole. It’s also difficult to determine exactly where and how a wave takes shape and how it reaches the shore: this is comparable to technological innovations and scientific research. It is just as unpredictable and dynamic,” curator Stéphane Symons told the Belgian media outlet VRT NWS.
The art and science route can be visited permanently and free of charge from 17 May 2025 onwards, by using a walking brochure or an app. Taking part in a guided tour or organising your own can also be arranged, with a minimum of 10 persons per group. The tour measures 5.5. kilometres and. Should take about 3.5 hours to complete.
Hear Here sound installations
Meanwhile, yet another art tour lets visitors discover Leuven’s rich heritage until 9 June 2025. Hear Here takes you on a walking tour of sound art in Leuven. Fifteen artworks about sound or silence reverberate through Leuven’s historical heritage sites, focusing on historical university buildings. Sound installations have been set up at a medieval watergate, an empty school building, and a baroque chapel.
Hear Here was developed by the arts centre STUK in Leuven, with the support of Flanders, the City of Leuven, and the KU Leuven amongst others. A map of the route can be found online, at the STUK reception, at Visit Leuven, and at multiple of the Hear Here locations. The parcours can be walked from Wednesday until Sunday, from 2 pm until 7 pm. It is free of charge, although a free donation at the STUK reception is appreciated, and guided tours are available. On foot, the entire route should take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
