Belgium: Leuven

Leuven

City in Belgium


Leuven (or Louvain) is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometres east of Brussels.

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Leuven has a large student population, mainly concentrated around the city centre. The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven; University of Leuven) is the oldest Catholic university still in existence in the world, and the largest university in Belgium.

Given the presence of the KULeuven and that it is an important European institution for academic research and education, much of the local economy is concentrated on spin-offs from academic research. There are several biotech and ICT companies; Gasthuisberg (nl), the academic hospital and research centre and a large number of private service providers in the medical and legal fields.

Because it is also the capital of the region of Flemish-Brabant, many governmental institutions are located in Leuven. Additionally it is the regional headquarters of transport corporations such as De Lijn and it is the worldwide headquarters of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer company in the world. InBev’s Stella Artois brewery and main offices dominate the entire north-eastern part of the town, between the railway station and the canal to Mechelen.

As the largest and one of the oldest Flemish cities in the immediate vicinity, there is a large range of attractive cafés, restaurants, shops and cultural institutions.


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