RoutesHiking trails & RoutesBelgiumFlandersFlemish Brabant
Leuven Town Hall – Cafés on Leuven’s Grote Markt loop from Leuven
RoutesHiking trails & RoutesBelgiumFlandersFlemish Brabant
Leuven Town Hall – Cafés on Leuven’s Grote Markt loop from Leuven
Easy
4.7
(16)
163
hikers
Leuven Town Hall – Cafés on Leuven’s Grote Markt loop from Leuven
01:46
6.80km
40m
Hiking
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: June 17, 2026
Waypoints
A
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
1
1.02 km
Saint Michael's Church
Highlight • Religious Site
The church was built between 1650 and 1666 in white sand and ironstone. The facade, with Ionic columns, pilasters and frieze, has the appearance of an altar.
The church was almost completely destroyed in 1944. Only the facade was miraculously spared. The reconstruction of the church was finished in 1950.
Since May 2021, the church has been home to a historically substantiated reconstruction of the Baroque organ that Heinrich Andreas Contius built in 1769 for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Liepaja (Latvia). H.A. Contius was highly regarded as an organ builder by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the organ in Liepaja is the only complete organ of Contius that has come down to us.
It is therefore no exaggeration to say that the reconstruction of this organ creates a unique framework in which the music of J.S. Bach, sons and contemporaries, can be performed in the best conditions.
Source: VisitLeuven
The church was almost completely destroyed in 1944. Only the facade was miraculously spared. The reconstruction of the church was finished in 1950.
Since May 2021, the church has been home to a historically substantiated reconstruction of the Baroque organ that Heinrich Andreas Contius built in 1769 for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Liepaja (Latvia). H.A. Contius was highly regarded as an organ builder by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the organ in Liepaja is the only complete organ of Contius that has come down to us.
It is therefore no exaggeration to say that the reconstruction of this organ creates a unique framework in which the music of J.S. Bach, sons and contemporaries, can be performed in the best conditions.
Source: VisitLeuven
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2
1.09 km
Main Entrance of Heilige Geestcollege
Highlight • Historical Site
In 1442 Lodewijk de Rijke and Judoca Van den Putte put a house at the disposal of poor theology students. The house, the former Hendrik Conync brewery, was located on the corner of He(u)velstraete or Collegeberg. The donors called the house College of the Holy Ghost.
The house remained intended for theology students until the French Revolution. It was renovated and expanded several times. Just in 1790, the Louis XVI style front building was completed. After that, the college became a humanities until 1835. From 1835, Belgian priests, who continued their studies at the university after their seminary training, came to live here.
During the night of 11 to 12 May 1944, the college was largely destroyed by Allied bombs intended for the train station. 46 people died, mainly in the collapsed escape tunnel to St. Michael's Church, still visible at the back of the current bar. The college was rebuilt in the 1950s.
In the late 1960s, the university was split. The college's French-speaking students went to Louvain-la-Neuve. Since then, Flemish students have come to live at the college for any university study. The Belgian priests were supplemented by some fifty foreign priests, in principle from developing countries, in all shades.
Source: kuleuven.be/residences/hgc/history
The house remained intended for theology students until the French Revolution. It was renovated and expanded several times. Just in 1790, the Louis XVI style front building was completed. After that, the college became a humanities until 1835. From 1835, Belgian priests, who continued their studies at the university after their seminary training, came to live here.
During the night of 11 to 12 May 1944, the college was largely destroyed by Allied bombs intended for the train station. 46 people died, mainly in the collapsed escape tunnel to St. Michael's Church, still visible at the back of the current bar. The college was rebuilt in the 1950s.
In the late 1960s, the university was split. The college's French-speaking students went to Louvain-la-Neuve. Since then, Flemish students have come to live at the college for any university study. The Belgian priests were supplemented by some fifty foreign priests, in principle from developing countries, in all shades.
Source: kuleuven.be/residences/hgc/history
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3
4.17 km
Leuven’s First City Wall and Tower (Sint-Donatus Park)
Highlight • Historical Site
Medieval relic in the park...
Translated by Google •
Tip by
4
4.27 km
St. Donatus Park
Highlight • Forest
Park with old city tower, pond and many statues but especially many students in sunny weather. Everything is being adapted and renovated.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
5
5.27 km
Leuven Town Hall
Highlight • Historical Site
The town hall of Leuven is one of the most famous Gothic town halls in the world and is located on the Grote Markt in Leuven.
The plans for the town hall of Leuven are based on and inspired by the town hall of Bruges. The town hall of Bruges is one of the oldest in Belgium and, in addition to that of Leuven, served as a model for the town halls of Oudenaarde, Brussels and Ghent, among others. The stones were made of Ledian stone from quarries such as De Helle in Dilbeek.
The town hall has three floors. There are two niches between the windows, which protrude slightly. Three of the four corner towers also have niches. The corbels are sculpted representations from the Bible. The recurring theme is guilt and penance. They had a didactic and admonishing function. During the first restoration in the nineteenth century, most of them were replaced; however, the original corbels are located in the attic of the town hall. Since the city services moved to the City Office at Professor Roger Van Overstraetenplein (at the station), the historic city hall is only used for ceremonies.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadhuis_van_Leuven
The plans for the town hall of Leuven are based on and inspired by the town hall of Bruges. The town hall of Bruges is one of the oldest in Belgium and, in addition to that of Leuven, served as a model for the town halls of Oudenaarde, Brussels and Ghent, among others. The stones were made of Ledian stone from quarries such as De Helle in Dilbeek.
The town hall has three floors. There are two niches between the windows, which protrude slightly. Three of the four corner towers also have niches. The corbels are sculpted representations from the Bible. The recurring theme is guilt and penance. They had a didactic and admonishing function. During the first restoration in the nineteenth century, most of them were replaced; however, the original corbels are located in the attic of the town hall. Since the city services moved to the City Office at Professor Roger Van Overstraetenplein (at the station), the historic city hall is only used for ceremonies.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadhuis_van_Leuven
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6
5.29 km
St. Peter's Church, Leuven
Highlight • Religious Site
The first church on the site, made of wood and presumably founded in 986, burned down in 1176.[1] It was replaced by a Romanesque church, made of stone, featuring a West End flanked by two round towers like at Our Lady's Basilica in Maastricht. Of the Romanesque building only part of the crypt remains, underneath the chancel of the actual church.
Construction of the present Gothic edifice, significantly larger than its predecessor, was begun approximately in 1425, and was continued for more than half a century in a remarkably uniform style, replacing the older church progressively from east (chancel) to west. Its construction period overlapped with that of the Town Hall across the Markt, and in the earlier decades of construction shared the same succession of architects as its civic neighbor: Sulpitius van Vorst to start with, followed by Jan II Keldermans and later on Matheus de Layens. In 1497 the building was practically complete,[1] although modifications, especially at the West End, continued.
Construction of the present Gothic edifice, significantly larger than its predecessor, was begun approximately in 1425, and was continued for more than half a century in a remarkably uniform style, replacing the older church progressively from east (chancel) to west. Its construction period overlapped with that of the Town Hall across the Markt, and in the earlier decades of construction shared the same succession of architects as its civic neighbor: Sulpitius van Vorst to start with, followed by Jan II Keldermans and later on Matheus de Layens. In 1497 the building was practically complete,[1] although modifications, especially at the West End, continued.
Tip by
7
5.33 km
Cafés on Leuven’s Grote Markt
Highlight • Cafe
Grand Café Notre Dame has an extensive menu and numerous suggestions with dishes that have been carefully composed.
Het Moorinneken is a restaurant/café also located on the Grote Markt. Named after the famous bust that adorns the facade of the historic building.
Het Moorinneken is a restaurant/café also located on the Grote Markt. Named after the famous bust that adorns the facade of the historic building.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
8
5.48 km
The Kotmadam statue
Highlight • Monument
The eye-catcher on the Oude Markt in Leuven is without doubt the life-size bronze sculpture 'De Kotmadam'. The statue was inaugurated in 1985 in the presence of the then oldest kotmadam of the student city, Maria Swerts, who is also the godmother of the statue. The Kotmadam is a young attractive lady, an image that according to some does not correspond to the real kotmadams, rather older and slender. For some time now, actress Katrien De Vos, who plays in the VTM series De Kotmadam, also visited the statue in the presence of many students and prominent figures from Leuven. The statue, a work by Fred Bellefroid, has become very popular in the meantime.
Source: zaader.com/de-kotmadam
Source: zaader.com/de-kotmadam
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
6.80 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
2.95 km
1.74 km
1.24 km
467 m
382 m
Surfaces
5.70 km
500 m
460 m
120 m
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Elevation
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Friday 10 July
30°C
17°C
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