Round table - Leuven

The Tafelrond is a building located on the east side of the Grote Markt in Leuven. Today the fourth version of the building is already standing; the first building was built in the 1480s. Its name comes from the fact that the city's citizens could meet there for centuries.

The first building was Gothic, the other Neoclassical. The National Bank was located there from 1930 to 2002.

First Round Table
In the Middle Ages there were three houses on the east side of the Grote Markt. The city council felt that a building of greater allure could be placed between St. Peter's Church and the town hall. The construction of the Gothic Round Table started in 1480. The Round Table was a coherent architectural ensemble of three large houses: in the middle the actual "Tafelront", to the right "Sint-Joris" and to the left "Spaegnen". Each of these houses had a door with stairs. The imposing roof had several dormers and turrets, comparable to Leuven's town hall. The houses were rented out by the city as meeting rooms to the Leuven societies: chambers of rhetoricians, militia guilds and other associations. Over time, the name Round Table was used to designate the whole. In 1553 the building was badly destroyed by a fire, after a party of the archers' guild.

Second Round Table
In 1817, the city council decided to demolish the Round Table and replace it with a neoclassical building, following the prevailing trend at the time. The white-plastered building was leased to the Société de l'Académie de Musique, who used it for theatrical and musical performances. The theater hall could seat 980 spectators. This building was laid in ruins in August 1914.

Third Round Table
Even during the First World War, it was decided to re-establish the Round Table, and to base it on the old Round Table building by De Layens. The National Bank, which had lost its branch on the Volksplaats (Ladeuzeplein), acted as lender and principal of the new building. During the early days of the Second World War, the Round Table was damaged. In 2002, the National Bank left the building.

Fourth Round Table
In June 2005, the Round Table was publicly sold. The buyer was Jan Callewaert from West Flemish Leuven (then founder and CEO of technology company Option and chairman of football club Oud-Heverlee Leuven). It was leaked in 2010 that a luxury hotel would be built. In 2012, Callewaert announced that the building would be converted into a hotel and restaurant, studio for talk shows and apartments.

Willem Vandenameele