Facade of the Stadhuis van Leuven

Richly decorated facade

06/2023 During our visit to Leuven, we naturally passed by the historic Leuven Town Hall. The facade is incredibly ornate, adorned with numerous figures. It features 236 statues, each standing in a small niche between the windows.

These figures, however, were not added in the Middle Ages, but rather between 1852 and 1907. Originally, only the niches existed. In the 19th century, the city decided to fill them with sculptures, creating a kind of "Stone Pantheon" for Leuven.

The figures were intended to represent the city's history, religion, and identity. Therefore, they depict important personalities and symbolic figures from various fields.

The facade thus functions like a stone book of the city's history:

- below, the citizens and scholars
- above, the religious and symbolic figures
- above, the historical rulers

In this way, the Town Hall unites the civic, religious, and political history of Leuven in a single architectural program.