 View of the Oude Markt | |
  Location within Belgium | |
| Location | Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°52′41″N4°41′58″E / 50.87806°N 4.69944°E |
The Oude Markt (Dutch for "Old Market") is a rectangular square in the centre of Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, that largely consists of catering establishments. This is why it is nicknamed the "longest bar in the world". [1]
As the historical residence city of the Counts of Leuven, the square was given market rights in 1150, when the first stone ramparts were built, so that economic activities started to develop. A market was held up to three times a week. In the 20th century, parts of the market escaped the bombing of the two world wars, but reconstruction was still necessary.
The cobble-stoned square is encicrcled by many historical buildings, dating from the 18th century to present. [2] The classicist wing of the Old University of Leuven's University Hall also opens on the Oude Markt. The university library was housed there until its destruction in 1914. The facade of the Holy Trinity College is well visible at the southern end of the square. De Kotmadam, a statue from 1985 by the sculptor Fred Bellefroid , is located on the Oude Markt. In addition, the square has two water pumps: the Sint-Janspomp , which is still in function, and the Collegepomp , a relic from 1724. [3]
The Leuven fair is held annually in the first three weeks of September on the Oude Markt, while the Student welcome is held annually at the end of September. There is also Hapje-Tapje (literally: a little snack-a small drink, approximately pronounced in English as hap-yeh, tap-yeh): a gastronomical market with a bartender race, at the beginning of August (first Sunday). [4] Since 1989, the Beleuvenissen , a series of concerts that revolve around a specific theme, is organised every Friday in July. [5] [6]
Maastricht is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the Meuse, at the point where the river is joined by the Jeker. Mount Saint Peter (Sint-Pietersberg) is largely situated within the city's municipal borders. Maastricht is adjacent to the border with Belgium and is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, an international metropolis with a population of about 3.9 million, which includes the nearby German and Belgian cities of Aachen, Liège, and Hasselt.
Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the more populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Haarlem had a population of 162,543 in 2021.
Leuven, also called Louvain, is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometres east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Leuven proper, Wilsele, Wijgmaal and part of Haasrode and Korbeek-Lo. It is the eighth largest city in Belgium, with more than 100,244 inhabitants.
The Grand-Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger edifices; the city's Flamboyant Town Hall, and the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, containing the Brussels City Museum. The square measures 68 by 110 metres and is entirely paved.
Gouda is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, between Rotterdam and Utrecht, in the province of South Holland. Gouda has a population of 75,000 and is famous for its Gouda cheese, stroopwafels, many grachten, smoking pipes, and its 15th-century city hall. Its array of historic churches and other buildings makes it a very popular day-trip destination.
Sint-Oedenrode is a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant.
Lokeren is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, and belongs to the Waasland, also called Land van Waas, of which it is the second most important city after Sint-Niklaas. The city, located on the river Durme, the Lede, and the E17 motorway, has more than 42,100 inhabitants who are called Lokeraars or Rapenfretters. Because Lokeren is located on the Durme, Lokeren is often called "The Durme City". Horse sausages are officially recognized as a regional product.
Sint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai.
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60 km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of Diest proper and the towns of Deurne, Kaggevinne, Molenstede, Schaffen and Webbekom. As of January 1, 2006, Diest had a total population of 22,845. The total area is 58.20 km2 which gives a population density of 393 inhabitants per km2.
Maaseik is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size and in population, it is the 8th largest municipality in Limburg. The town is the seat of the administrative arrondissement of Maaseik (kieskanton). Internationally, Maaseik is known as the assumed birthplace of the famous Flemish painters Jan and Hubert van Eyck.
Lier is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is composed of the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The city centre is surrounded by the river Nete, around which it grew. In 2018, Lier had a total population of 35,712. The total area is 49.70 km2 making a population density (PD) of 720 per km2. Lier is known for its beers, its patron saint St. Gummarus and Lierse vlaaikes cake. It is also home to the world headquarters of Van Hool, a global bus and coach manufacturer. Lier's two principal football clubs are K. Lyra-Lierse and Lierse Kempenzonen.
Marktrock is a music festival held each year around 15 August, in the heart of the university town of Leuven, Belgium. There is also a smaller Marktrock festival in Poperinge, which is held on the last Saturday of August.
Saint Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Leuven, Belgium, built in the 15th century in the Brabantine Gothic style. The church has a cruciform floor plan and a low bell tower that has never been completed. It is 93 metres (305 ft) long. It is located on the city's Grote Markt, opposite the Town Hall. In 1999, the belfry and bell tower of the church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of the civil importance and architecture of the belfries in the region.
The Markt is the central square of Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium. It is located in the city centre and covers an area of about 1 ha. On the south side of the square is one of the city's most famous landmarks, the 12th-century Belfry.
The Grote Markt is the central square of Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. It is situated between the Oude Markt and the Rector De Somerplein and near both the Bondgenotenlaan and the Muntstraat.
A cloth hall or linen hall is a historic building located in the centre of the main marketplace of a European town. Cloth halls were built from medieval times into the 18th century.
The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels, Belgium.
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The Grote Markt is the central square of Antwerp, Belgium, situated in the heart of the old city quarter. It is surrounded by the city's Renaissance Town Hall, as well as numerous guildhalls with elaborate façades, the majority of which are reconstructions from the 19th and early 20th century, approximating paintings of the square by Flemish artists. A few of the guildhall façades, such as that of Sint-Joris's are intact originals entirely dating back to the 16th century.
The Place Anneessens (French) or Anneessensplein (Dutch) is a square in central Brussels, Belgium. It is named in honour of François Anneessens, dean of the Nation of St. Christopher, who was beheaded on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt during a period of uprisings within the Austrian Netherlands.
