Louvain

(Flemish, Leuven), a city in Belgium, in the province of Brabant; a port on the Dyle River and on a canal linking the city with the Schelde River. Population, 32,200 (1971). It has metalworking, sawmilling, chemical, and textile industries. The city is the site of Belgium’s oldest Catholic university (since 1425; in 1968 the French-speaking faculties of the university were transferred to the cities of Brussels and Ottignies).

Louvain was first mentioned in 884 as a Norman camp. In the late ninth century it became the residence of the counts of Louvain, and in 1106 the residence of the dukes of Louvain (later called Brabant). In the 11th and 12th centuries, Louvain acquired much commercial importance, becoming a major center for the manufacture of cloth and one of the principal economic centers of Brabant. As a result of their uprising in 1378, the weavers achieved some degree of participation in the administration of the city. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Louvain lost its previous economic importance. During World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939–45), the city was occupied by German troops.

Louvain has retained its medieval radial plan. Its Gothic buildings include the churches of St. Quentin (1252–1453) and St. Peter (c. 1425 to sometime after 1507; the stone tabernacle, height 12 m, c. 1450, architect Mathieu de Layens), the Town Hall (1448–59, architect Mathieu de Layens), and several residences. The Church of St. Michael (1650–66, architect W. Hessius) is in the baroque style. Louvain’s university buildings belong to the 16th to 20th centuries.

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