Welcome in Leuven Your guide to the 38th FEMS Council Meeting, 16-17 September 2011
Meeting Venue The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe www.leuveninstitute.eu Janseniusstraat 1 3000 Leuven Belgium T: +32 16 310 430 F: +32 16 310 431 E: reception@leuveninstitute.eu The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is located here.
The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is about a 20-minute walk from the train station.
For a detailed walking instruction and bigger map, please click here. Leuven is easy to reach by car, bus and train. By train, it is only 20 minutes from Brussels, 40 minutes from Antwerp, less than 25 minutes from Liège, 45 minutes from the Belgian coast and at 2 to 3 hours from cities like Düsseldorf, Paris and Amsterdam. The university city is also only a 15-minute train ride away from Brussels International Airport. Here are more detailed information on how to get to the meeting location: Directions from Brussels
Directions from the Leuven railway station
Directions from Zaventem airport
Photos of and by The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe
FEMS Central Office. Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628CL Delft, The Netherlands. www.fems-microbiology.org / fems@fems-microbiology.org
Introduction to Leuven Leuven or Louvain (French name often used in English), is the capital of the Flemish-Brabant province in Belgium’s Flemish Region. An ancient capital, it has been home to the Dukes of Brabant since the 1200’s. If that does not ring a bell, you may also remember Leuven as the beer capital of Belgium. It is home to Anheuser-Busch InBev which produces internationally-known beers such as Stella Artois, Budweiser and Beck’s. But more than that, Leuven is also known as a student city. A quarter of the town’s population are students. The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the oldest existing Catholic university in the world and the oldest university in the Low Countries, is situated here. Leuven is also an important cultural hub in Belgium. One of Belgium's finest conservatories is based here: the Lemmens Institute, which is described as "Faculty of Music, Performing Arts and Education". It is known for its Music Therapy Education and its Word art-Drama Education.
Leuven fast facts
Country: Belgium
Language: Flemish, English, French
Currency: Euro
Official website: www.leuven.be
Weather in September: Average high: 18.7 °C Average low: 10.8 °C Precipitation (mm): 63 Average precipitation days: 10 Average sunshine hours: 143
In and Around Leuven Leuven’s modern train station is 800m east of the Grote Markt. There are frequent connections to and from Brussels (€4.80, 30 minutes), Mechelen (€4.10, 15 minutes), Antwerp (€6.70, 45 minutes), Diest (€4.80, 30 minutes), Lier (€6.30, 45 minutes) and Liège (€7.50, 50 minutes). Please check NMBS/ SNCB Mobility for train schedule and fares. Eurolines buses and De Lijn local buses depart from the big new red bus station to the right as you exit the train station where there’s also an information office to be found. Buses 1 and 2 shuttle to the Grote Markt (due to road works, this is not the case though so please check with the information office). A dagkaart (day card) can be bought from the info kiosk (€5/1.5 per adult/child) or on the bus (€6/2). Bikes can be rented from Jeugdherberg De Blauwput (016 63 90 62; www.vjh.be; Martelarenlaan 11a; 8am-10pm) for €10 per day (deposit €150). (Source: Lonely Planet, prices updated)
Leuven’s position in Belgium.
FEMS Central Office. Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628CL Delft, The Netherlands. www.fems-microbiology.org / fems@fems-microbiology.org
What to see in Leuven
The Town Hall, built between 1439 and 1463 in a Brabantian late-Gothic style. The St. Peter's Church (1425–1500). During the Second World War the church was damaged; during the restoration a Romanesque crypt from the 11th century was found. The tower was included in UNESCO's list of Belfries of Belgium and France in 1999. Saint-Anthony's Chapel, Pater Damiaanplein, from the 17th to the 20th centuries, contains the tomb of Father Damien, the "leprosy priest" of Molokai, canonized by Pope John Paul II. The Catholic priest's remains were returned to Belgium with great fanfare in 1936 after having been originally buried on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai where he had served the outcast lepers and died. The Linen-hall in an early-Gothic style, with baroque addition, is today the University Hall. The Church of Saint Michael, built in the typical Jesuit Baroque style. The Church of Saint Quinten incorporates remains of a Romanesque church built in the 13th century. The University Library on the Ladeuzeplein was a gift from the American people to Leuven after World War I during which the original library was burned down, causing much uproar in the USA. The tower houses one of the largest carillons in the world. Totem is a statue at the centre of the Ladeuzeplein; it is a work of the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. There was a ducal castle dating from the 12th century on the Keizersberg ("Emperor's Mountain") which was demolished in the 17th Century. Today there is a neo-Romanesque Abbey where the castle once stood. The Large Beguinage (Begijnhof) is one of the world's best remaining examples of its architectural type. It was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. "Fonske" is a statue near the centre of town. Its full name is Fons Sapientiae, Latin for "fountain of wisdom". The statue represents a university student who, while reading a book, lets wisdom flow into his head as liquid from a glass. Just like Manneken Pis in Brussels, Fonske is from time to time dressed in costumes appropriate for the occasion. Irish College of Louvain/Leuven. The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is located on the premises. (source: Wikipedia)
Leuven’s town hall
Helpful websites Guides: http://www.leuven.be http://www.leuven.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuven http://www.lonelyplanet.com/belgium/leuven http://www.leuveninstitute.eu Maps: http://cwisdb.kuleuven.be/kaarten-bin/ basiskaart.pl http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Leuven
FEMS Central Office. Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628CL Delft, The Netherlands. www.fems-microbiology.org / fems@fems-microbiology.org FEMS Central Office. Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628CL Delft, The Netherlands. www.fems-microbiology.org / fems@fems-microbiology.org
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how to get to LEUVEN
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www.skyscanner.net / www.momondo.com => search cheap flights all over Europe (also to and from Belgium)
• Some Eurolines buses stop in Leuven at the station. However, many international buses don’t stop in Leuven, but at Brussels ‘Noord / Nord’ station. It will be no problem to catch a train from Brussels to Leuven, but watch out: buses often have a delay, so you might have to spend the night in Brussels if you’re late.
BRUSSELS AIRPORT www.brusselsairport.com • The national airport of Belgium lies just outside of Brussels. Its railway station is located under the airport. • Train from Brussels Airport to Leuven: - 2 connections per hour / about 15 minutes / €5.30 - First train at 05:17, last train at 23:39 (on Sat and Sun at 05:38 and 23:50). BRUSSELS SOUTH CHARLEROI AIRPORT www.charleroi-airport.com • This small low-cost airport is 50 km outside of Brussels, in Charleroi. There are no direct connections to Leuven, so you have to take the shuttle bus to Brussels first. It takes about an hour and goes two times per hour. When you miss the last bus, look for people to share a taxi to Brussels. The fixed price is €100. • Shuttle bus to Brussels - two per hour - drives 1 hour to Brussels (to ‘Zuid/Midi’ train station) - one-way for € 13 / two-way for € 22 - buy your ticket outside of the airport (follow the blue line) or online at www.voyages-lelan.be
• www.eurolines.com > online booking
BY TRAIN • Leuven lies very close to Brussels, with many fast direct connections. • Thalys = international high-speed train between France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Thalys does not stop in Leuven, but in Brussels ‘Zuid/Midi’ station (with many direct connections to Leuven). www.thalys.com • Eurostar = international high-speed train between the UK, France and Belgium. Does not stop in Leuven, but in Brussels ‘Zuid / Midi’ station . www.eurostar.com • Trains in Belgium: www.b-rail.be
• From Brussels ‘Zuid / Midi’ to Leuven: - 4 trains per hour / about 30 minutes / € 5.40 - First train at 04:48, last train at 00:01 (on Sat and Sun at 05:09 and 00:03).
USE-IT / TOURIST INFO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE / WWW.USE-IT.BE USE-IT Brussels is a vzw de hondsjaren project, supported by the Flemish government and the Cities of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen
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TRAINS FROM BRUSSELS TO LEUVEN = € 5.40 There are three stations in Brussels: Brussels ‘Zuid/ Midi’, Brussels Central and Brussels ‘Noord / Nord’. All Belgian trains stop in the three stations, so you can choose. Brussels ‘Noord / Nord’ is the closest one to Leuven. Railway timetables in English: www.b-rail.be/main/E/ IC-trains (InterCity) go faster than IR-trains (InterRegional). Don’t take the slow L-trains (local). TIP: If you’re travelling with a few friends, and you plan to see more than one city in Belgium, it’s cheapest to buy a ‘Go-pass’ with ten tickets for € 50. You can use it between all the Belgian stations with more than one person at the same time. If you’re older than 25, ask for a Rail Pass (same system for € 74).
USE-IT / TOURIST INFO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE / WWW.USE-IT.BE USE-IT Brussels is a vzw de hondsjaren project, supported by the Flemish government and the Cities of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen