Great Beguinage, Leuven

Great Beguinage, Leuven (must see)

The Grand Béguinage of Leuven is a well preserved and completely restored historical quarter containing a dozen of streets in the south of downtown Leuven. About 3 hectares (7.5 acres) in size, with some 300 apartments in almost 100 houses, it is one of the largest still existing beguinages in the Low Countries. The béguinage stretches on both sides of the river Dijle, which splits into two canals inside the béguinage, thus forming an island. Three bridges connect the parts of the beguinage. The complete béguinage is owned by the University of Leuven and used as a campus, especially for housing students and academic guests.

The Grand Béguinage of Leuven has the appearance of a small town on its own, with houses planned along a network of narrow streets and small squares. The majority of the houses dates back from the period 1630-1670. They were constructed in the local, traditional architecture, enriched with some sober, baroque elements. The facades show red bricks with sandstone cross-bar frames for windows and doors. A typical element in the beguinage of Leuven are the numerous dormers, often elaborated with crow-stepped gables and round arched windows.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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Great Beguinage on Map

Sight Name: Great Beguinage
Sight Location: Leuven, Belgium (See walking tours in Leuven)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Leuven, Belgium

Create Your Own Walk in Leuven

Create Your Own Walk in Leuven

Creating your own self-guided walk in Leuven is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Famous Architecture Walk

Famous Architecture Walk

For tourists looking to find the most remarkable Medieval buildings in the world, they should just visit Leuven. The town is the seat of the most impressive architecture in all of Belgium, the imposing University Library and the splendid Town Hall, which is home to numerous early Flemish figures. Take this tour and admire the beauty of Leuven architecture.

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Leuven Introduction Walking Tour

Leuven Introduction Walking Tour

Leuven can proudly boast a number of great landmarks that offer extraordinary scope for sightseeing. The city of Leuven is marked by two beautiful squares, the Ladeuzeplein, basically the most famous attraction and the Fochplein, where the magnificent Fonske can be found. This orientation walk is the best opportunity to discover Leuven's most interesting attractions.

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles