“Humankind was built on beer. From the world’s first writing to its first laws, in rituals social, religious, and political, civilization is soaked in beer.”
-– William Bostwick====================================================================
(in the Flanders region of Belgium) The city of Leuven is located along the Dyle River and is connected by canal with the Scheldt. The city is about 16 miles (~26 km) east of Brussels. Founded in the 9th century around a fortress built by a German emperor against the Normans, it became important in the 11th century as the residence of the counts of Leuven, and the dukes of Brabant.
+ A cloth-weaving center, Leuven was and one of the largest cities in Europe in the 14th century, when a feud began between its citizenry and nobility. In 1379, 17 nobles were massacred in the Town Hall, bringing down the vengeance of the duke, to whom the citizens surrendered in 1383. The city then declined as many weavers fled to Flanders and England, as Brussels replaced Leuven as the capital of Brabant. What it lost in trade, Leuven partly recovered as a seat of learning, for in 1425 the Catholic University of Leuven, the first university in the Netherlands, was founded and became known for its Roman Catholic teaching.
+ Today, Leuven is still a major cultural center and an agricultural market. Its industries have included food processing, brewing, and the manufacture of leather goods, machinery, and chemicals. Beginning in the late 20th century, Leuven increasingly served as a suburban "bedroom community" for professionals working in Brussels.
+ The city's Town Hall is one of the richest examples of pointed Gothic architecture, and was built by the masater mason, Mathieu de Layens, in the mid 15th century. The Church of St. Peter, which dates from the early 11th century, was twice destroyed before being rebuilt as a Gothic structure (from 1425–97), and it was again damaged in both world wars. Other notable medieval buildings include the Round Table (former meeting place of the merchant guilds), churches of St. Gertrude, St. Quentin, Saint-Michel, and St. James, two monasteries, and a béguinage (retreat for secular nuns) with a church of 1305; the béguinage has been the property of Leuven’s Catholic University since 1962.
+ Lively Leuven, an ancient capital, is now a prominent brewing center and Flanders’ oldest university town -- offering a range of adventures for overnight visitors or day-trippers from Bruges and Brussels. Tourists will find everything from gastronomic tours to architectural gems. The Kruidtuin Botanical Garden’s herbal gardens are the oldest in Belgium, and Heverleebos, a “city wood,” offers a respite for urban dwellers. The exploring is easy in Leuven, on foot or on one of the ubiquitous bikes.
+ Leuven has many great abbeys including the Keizersberg Abbey, which was built by Mardsous monks; its surrounding wall, make it look more like a fortress. Yet, the gardens here, which are now a public park, enable panoramic views of the city.
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