Venue

The University of Leuven / Université de Louvain was founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V. It is the oldest existing Catholic university in the world and oldest university in the Low Countries *.

The University is composed of 14 faculties : the Campus Arenberg at the outskirts of the old town of Leuven in Heverlee houses 4 faculties : Sciences, Engineering, Bio-engineering and Movement and Revalidation Sciences.

In 2002 17 departmental and faculty libraries of the four above mentioned faculties merged and the collections were moved to the newly renovated mid-16th century monastery: the Campus Library of Arenberg. Some more historical data and facts about the site and library:

A castle and a convent

The history of our library began with a castle, a hunting lodge on the edge of Heverlee forest, which became property of the de Croy family, in 1446. This lineage was one of the most noble families in the former Netherlands. Willem de Croy (1458-1521), counsellor of the emperor Charles V, built a new castle and, as his last will, he wanted a Celestine convent to be founded, next to the castle. According to decent Burgundian tradition, the church was meant to be the last resting-place for Willem de Croy and his family. Willem's widow, Maria van Hamal, took care of the realization of her husband's last will. After the death of Karel de Croy, who had no legal successors, castle and monastery transferred to the Arenberg family.

Stable, research station, nursery

The 18th century marked the end of the convent. Emperor Joseph II abolished the Celestine priory in 1783 and in the revolutionary year 1796, 'Rosse Max' and his gang smashed everything up to pieces. Back in 1816, the bricks of the church were recycled while building the pavilion for the Prins van Oranje in Tervuren. The Duke of Arenberg ordered to demolish the south wing of the convent and to redecorate the rest of the remaining parts as stables and dog breeding kennels. In the east wing, from that period on, the former refectory and chapter-house, were intended to be a royal accommodation for a hundred horses. After world war I, the university became owner of these buildings, in which, until 1985, a research station for lettuce and grain, founded by the Belgian farmer union Boerenbond, was settled.

A library in a convent

In 1965, the leased territory was rearranged by professor R.M. Lemaire as a crèche, for children of people working at the university. This was in fact the beginning of the reconversion of the Celestine convent. In 1996, the K.U.Leuven organized a competition for the reconstruction of the monastery and for its new establishment, as a library for the exact sciences. It was the famous Spanish architect Rafael Moneo who got the commission to rebuild it. On October 1st 2002, the new Campus Library Arenberg was inaugurated.

Our meeting venue will be in two auditoria (A and K) and in the neighbourhood of "De Moete" our cafeteria for the coffee breaks and lunches at walking distance of the Campus Library of Arenberg.

Your itinerary to the meeting venue and the Campus Library Arenberg :

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

How to reach the conference venue?

A. On Sunday May 31

All participants and their accompanying persons are invited at the Campusbibliotheek Arenberg between 15.00 and 18.00 h for registration and for a social gathering with drinks, snacks and music.

The address of this library is: W. de Croylaan 6, Heverlee. Actually, it is situated at the corner of the Celestijnenlaan with the W.de Croylaan. It can easily be reached with city bus nr. 2, which leaves from the bus station near the railway station at 5 and at 35 minutes past each hour (restricted Sunday service). This bus has several stops on the way, e.g. at the Fochplein, in the Naamsestraat and at the Naamsepoort. [Due to special activities in the city center, the bus route may be diverted on May 31. Railway station and Naamsepoort should be sure stops!] Get off the bus at the first stop on the Celestijnenlaan.

(See the map for details about the trajectory and stops of this bus line!)

B. From Monday till Thursday June 1-4

The best way to reach the conference venue is to use the special yellow conference buses (from "Linden Cars") that will carry the participants directly to the Science and Technology Campus. The pick-up places for these busses (indicated on the map with a blue star) are at:

(On Monday morning at 8.15 a Conference representative will come to the Iers College to show the participants staying in this place the shortest walking path to the Begijnhof parking!)

You can also still use bus nr. 2, but now you should get off at the final destination of the bus line: on the Science and Technology Campus, Celestijnenlaan 200, where you are close to the Conference auditoria in buildings K and A. (Remark that Monday June 1 is a holiday in Belgium, so busses still run on the restricted Sunday service schedule. From Tuesday on, there is much more intensive service, with busses leaving every 7 or 8 minutes.)


H1 = Begijnhof Congres Hotel
H2 = Holiday Inn Garden Court Leuven
H3 = Hotel Binnenhof
H4 = Hotel Royale
H5 = Iers College
H6 = Novotel
A, K = Auditoria
M = Lunch Restaurant "Moete"
CBA = Library
T = Town Hall


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