I used to come here at least once a week without knowing about the significance of this place. I thought it was a charming residential area, but it is so much more. This UNESCO site is on the way to the university campus, a little bit outside of the old town. Grote Begijnhof still exists due to its purchase by the KU Leuven. Our hotel was right next to it which was a great location to explore Grote Begijnhof, but not such a good place if you want to walk to the restaurant in the old town while it's raining.
Grote Begijnhof or The Large Beguinage dates back to the 13th century. Together with other twelve Flemish beguinages it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Beguines were religious women, widows or spinsters who wished to live outside of the societal orders. They lived independent life with commitment to poverty and fidelity. Many features of their community were restored in the 20th century, and today we can visit the area for free.
Let's have a look around!
Grote Begijnhof is located on the other side of the river Dijle outside of the old town. I imagine that the women who lived there treasured their peace and wanted to live out of the reach of the city. I see them as some sort of a religious order. Today, we can enter the area through the main gate located right next to the church that is the oldest building in the Beguinage.
Even though this gate is more than 200 years old it is not the original gate to the Beguinage. The original gate was torn down after the French Revolution and replaced by this one later. It is interesting that it survived both World Wars as Leuven was heavily bombed and damaged.
The Beguinage was built around The St. John Church. The women were religious, so I can imagine that they spent a lot of time in the church. It dates back to the 13th century, and you can find the gravestones of beguines placed in the floor of the church. We came during the preparation for the service, so we couldn't go inside, but we'll come back in December to check it out.
Today, the Beguinage houses many students and teachers of the KU Leuven. You can walk around many streets to admire the brick houses, sit down on one of the countless benches and enjoy the moment, or walk around the garden and parks. Leuven can become very busy during the weekdays, and I enjoyed walking around this place as there are usually not so many people. There are no shops or restaurants here, so you normally come to enjoy the quietness.
Of course, it is better to come in the morning or in the evening as this is a touristic spot (although not the best known touristic spot in the city), so it can get kind of busy too.
My husband couldn't believe that most of the houses are occupied by students. The streets are perfectly clean and it was so quiet. It didn't surprise me as it was Sunday morning, and I assumed most of the students were still sleeping after Saturday night.
Belgium as well as The Netherlands has many canals. They were used to transport the goods inside of the cities, and today they are mainly used by sightseeing boats. I was convinced that this was one of those canals until I learned that it's the river Dijle. There are some bridges over the river with great views 😊
The houses in The Spanish quarter are the most charming ones. It's the newest quarter of the Beguinage dating back to the beginning of the 17th century. It was originally called The soldier's quarter because wives of Belgian soldiers lived here. We don't know why the name was changed, but I can imagine that in the times of peace another name was needed. However, I have no idea why the name 'Spanish' was chosen. To me it doesn't resemble Spanish houses at all.
There is a beautiful water pump on this square. My husband wanted me to try it and see if it works, but it was too cold and I was afraid I would get wet, so I didn't do it. I asked him to try it himself if he wants to know so much if it works, but I guess he was hoping for some funny video of me getting wet, and didn't want to do it himself 😊 I had a feeling there was some ulterior motive hidden behind all that convincing.
This was my favourite alley in the summer months. The pathway leads you to the other end of the Beguinage and it is lined with trees providing much needed shade during the hot days. On both sides of the alleyway are green fields with perfectly maintained grass...
This is how it looks like on the right side of the alleyway...
What a perfect country life picture!
Just a few more photos to enjoy the atmosphere...
Many buildings have some statues installed in their facades or roofs. I can't say for sure, but I believe that there are only female statues which would make sense in a way.
Also, look at those windows! I guess that they don't let much light inside of the rooms, but they are so pretty to look at...
We have also found some interesting artwork in one of the gardens. I have no idea what it is, but it does look contemporary to me 😊
People who know me are aware of my fear of cats. I'm convinced that every cat that I met in my life was trying to figure out the easiest way to kill me. They always look so angry and I have no idea what to expect of them.
This cat was not different in the way it looked at me, but it kept following us everywhere. When I came closer it disappeared just to appear from behind another corner to follow us again. At some point I was afraid that we would have to adopt it because it was following us back to the hotel. Eventually, it let me come closer, but I was afraid to touch it because I don't know their body language and didn't want to risk punches, scratches or bites.
Look at that angry face 😊 It kept meowing and meowing, and when it finally understood that I really have no idea what it wants it gave me that disapproving look and left. I have never had a cat following me for so long, and I'm not going to lie to you I did enjoy it a bit.
After the cat left us without saying goodbye we left Grote Begijnhof too. It was really nice to come back and see this familiar place. My husband really fell in love with Leuven as he keeps asking me if I could imagine our lives in the Flanders.
See you next time...