30CC/Schouwburg Leuven

The Municipal Theater of Leuven is a concert and theater hall located at 21 Bondgenotenlaan and was built in 1867 to replace the Frascati hall, which was demolished by the construction of the aforementioned avenue.

The original building featured a foyer and a hall with a capacity of around 1000 seats, all of them lavishly decorated. A traditional public space: with an orchestra pit, parquet floor, parterre, balconies and honorary boxes downstairs. Sculptor Gérard Vander Linden was responsible for the sculptural decor.

With the war fire of 1914, the building was almost completely destroyed, except for the outer and hall walls.

In March 1938, the new municipal theater officially opened, and in terms of infrastructure and technical installations it could be counted as one of the most modern in the country.

During bombings in 1944-45, the building suffered further damage, which was restored by architect Louis Mispelter in 1952.

A few more innovations followed in the 1994-1996 period; the hall capacity was then about 750 seats.

On November 9, 1994, the building received the status of a protected monument by ministerial decree.

The most recent exterior renovation was done in 2013, during which the roof and side walls were given a major facelift. In the course of 2015 the seats were replaced and the total hall capacity was reduced to 625 places.

The culture center 30CC is currently responsible for the programming in the hall.

Willem Vandenameele