KU Leuven is celebrating its 600th anniversary filled with wonder and curiosity

Leuven is celebrating in 2025, all year long. Exactly 600 years ago, the University of Leuven - KU Leuven - was founded. It was the start of centuries filled with wonder and curiosity. This jam-packed anniversary year is the ideal occasion to visit this bustling city.

Visit Leuven, home to one of Europe’s oldest universities

Ever since the beginning of time, mankind has been searching for answers to questions both small and large. And from every answer a new question arises. In our neck of the woods, Leuven has been a driver of that wonder and curiosity for centuries. KU Leuven was founded in 1425. This makes it one of the oldest universities in Europe. Today, it is still a global beacon for knowledge and science. That knowledge and expertise is exported from Leuven all over the world, thanks among others to the imec research centre. That centre grew out of the cradle of the university. Today, it is a world authority on nanoelectronics and digital technologies.

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Looking for knowledge, insights... and entertainment?

It’s true to say that KU Leuven has a major impact on science and the world. Of course, it has an equally large impact on its home city as well. Scattered throughout Leuven, you can admire dozens of historic university buildings, such as the University Library, Pope’s College and Arenberg Castle. These exceptional gems of heritage make Leuven what it is. It’s impossible to imagine the city without KU Leuven. Needless to say, the tens of thousands of university students also shape the city. They are looking for knowledge, insights... and entertainment. Just take a look at the pubs on the Oude Markt, also known as ‘the longest bar in Europe’. That's just as much a part of it and keeps the historic city of Leuven forever young.

Enjoy a whirlwind year of celebrations

600 years of KU Leuven will be a scintillating festival. For a whole year, enjoy exhibitions, inspiring lectures, heritage, music, poetry, art and much more. Knowledge knows no end, and the same (almost) goes for the programme.

The festive starting shot

On the weekend of 15 and 16 February, the celebratory year kicks off. The KU Leuven Inside opening weekend will introduce you to top research at this university and give you an exclusive look behind the scenes of labs and research centres.

History and special collections

In addition, Leuven’s museums will also be telling many stories about KU Leuven. The University Library will reveal the rich history of this institution. In turn, M Leuven will show pieces from its study collections that are as diverse as they are surprising. They range from early tools in the field of psychology via the fossil skeleton of a giant deer to early electric motors. The ethnographic exhibits shed light on the university’s colonial past. A newly set up sculpture garden nods to the University Hall’s museum display some 100 years ago.

VISIT Universiteitsbibliotheek Leeszaal ©KevinFaingnaert

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Art and science, hand in hand

At the same time, KU Leuven is opening the doors of its magnificent historic buildings and rich collections of art and science. Thanks to the university’s app for walks, you can discover all the beauty with your own eyes. From May onwards, the experience will take on another dimension, thanks to And So, Change Comes in Waves. This art and science route will take you past the university’s heritage as well as new artworks and poetry in public spaces. One of the highlights: Wandering Garden, an installation by the artist duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. This will be a green maze in Arenberg Park, made up of hundreds of metres of curved steel grids. In the coming years, a colourful collection of climbing plants will completely overgrow that structure. Along with work by 13 other artists, it raises questions and evokes poignancy, along an extraordinary route.

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In short, KU Leuven is celebrating its 600th anniversary with an all-round experience brimming with science, music, art, poetry, heritage, top international conferences and much more. It will be a whirlwind year where everyone will find something to their liking. The university is celebrating, and you are invited to Leuven.