Abbey of Vlierbeek

Culture and nature in the heart of old Brabant

Around 1100, the southeastern outskirts of Leuven were still largely forested. Here, the Duke of Brabant, who had chosen Leuven as his residence, had his hunting park. Around 1129, Godfrey with the Beard donated his hunting park southeast of Leuven to the Norbertines, who are still the residents of a remarkable complex of buildings, surrounded by green pastures and water bodies. The walls and gatehouses, the watermill, the mighty farmhouse, and the tithe barn, which were previously intended for agricultural and economic activities, lie in a circle around the abbey. The successive architectural styles from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance and finally (late) Baroque have left their mark here in a typical Brabantine version. The visitor is, as it were, momentarily immersed in monastic life when entering the beautifully restored abbey church and sacristy, sitting in the atmospheric chapter room, or walking in the cloister and inhaling the atmosphere of petrified beauty, feasting his eyes on the unmatched stucco ceilings in the refectory and the library, and on the way back through the dormitory to the exit can only consider that a monastic history of over eight centuries is palpably present here. In the cemetery, there are grave monuments of famous people.

Contact addresses:

- Abbey of Park vzw:

Abbey of Park 7, 3001 Leuven, Tel 32 (0) 16 40 63 29, frans.swarte@tiscali.be

- archivist: Stefan Van Lani, Tel 32 (0) 16 38 92 10, stefan.vanlani@crkc.be

- Center for Religious Art and Culture vzw (CRKC):

Abbey of Park 7, 3001 Leuven, Tel 32 (0) 16 40 60 73, info@crkc.be, www.crkc.be

- Friends of Abbey of 't Park vzw:

Tel 32 (0) 16 20 70 98, info@parkabdij.be, natuur@parkabdij.be

Abbey visit:

- guided tour every Sunday at 16.00: € 3.00 per participant older than 12

- guided tour on other days: by appointment and per group of max. 25 people: € 40.00 for the guide plus € 3.00 per participant older than 12.

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