Timeline of Leuven

The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of Leuven, Belgium.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Pre-20th century

• 883 – Battle of Leuven (883) [nl].
• 891 – Battle of Leuven (891).
• 950 - Birth of Lambert I, Count of Louvain the first Count of Leuven.
• 1090 – Hospital established (approximate date).^[1]
• 1100 – St. Peter's Church built (approximate date).^[2]
• 1165 – Saint Michael's Church, Leuven [de] built.^[2]
• 1183 – Leuven becomes part of the Duchy of Brabant of the Holy Roman Empire.^[3]
• 1222 – Saint Quentin's Church built (approx. date).^[2]
• 1225 – Arnold Nobel [nl] becomes mayor.
• 1230 – Saint Jacob's Church, Leuven [nl] built.^[2]
• 1317 – Lakenhal (Leuven) [nl] (cloth hall) built.^[3]
• 1356 - Louvain was the scene of the Joyeuse Entrée of Wenceslas.^[3]
• 1379 – Defenestration of Leuven [nl] (political unrest).^[3]
• 1425 – Old University of Leuven founded by John IV, Duke of Brabant.^[4][3]
• 1463 – Leuven Town Hall built.^[5][3]
• 1474 – Printing press in operation.^[6]
• 1497 – St. Peter's Church rebuilt.^[3]
• 1502 – Erasmus moves to Leuven.
• 1547 - Leuven Vulgate edited by Hentenius published in Louvain.
• 1571 – City Archive relocated to City Hall.^[7]
• 1635 – June–July: Siege of Leuven.

  

  Siege of Leuven in 1635

• 1717 – Artois brewery in business.^[8]
• 1727 – Public celebration on 10 November of the third centenary of the university's founding.^[9]
• 1738 – Hortus Botanicus Lovaniensis (botanical garden) established.^[10]
• 1786 – Seminary established.^[11]
• 1795 – City becomes part of the Dyle (department) of the French First Republic.
• 1804 – City becomes part of the First French Empire.
• 1815 – City becomes part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1830 – City becomes part of the Kingdom of Belgium.
• 1831 – 12 August: Battle of Leuven (1831).^[11]
• 1834 – Catholic University of Leuven established.^[12]
• 1837 - Leuven railway station opened.
• 1843 – Heilige Drievuldigheidscollege (school) established.
• 1867 – Leuven City Theatre [nl] built on Statiestraat.
• 1883 – Population: 36,813.^[13]
• 1899 – Keizersberg Abbey founded.

20th century

• 1903 – K. Stade Leuven football club formed.
• 1904 - Population: 42,194.^[14]
• 1914
  • Burning of Louvain^[15] Library of the Catholic University of Leuven destroyed.^[5]
  • Population: 42,490.^[14]
• 1919 – Population: 40,069.^[16]
• 1921
  • Post war reconstruction well underway, about 700 out of 1,200 houses had been rebuilt.^[14]
  • New purpose-built library was begun, helped by John Rylands Library in Manchester.^[14]
• 1928
  • UZ Leuven (hospital) active.^{[citation needed]}
  • Library of the Catholic University of Leuven rebuilt.^[5]
• 1940 – Library of the Catholic University of Leuven destroyed again.^[5]
• 1947 – Alfons Smets [nl] becomes mayor.
• 1967 – November: French–Flemish Affaire de Louvain [fr] begins.^[17]
• 1968
  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven established.^[4]
  • Lemmensinstituut (music conservatory) active.
  • Studio 1 cinema in business.^[18]
• 1977
  • Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, and Wilsele become part of city.^[19]
  • Alfred Vansina [nl] becomes mayor.
• 1982 – Marktrock music fest begins.
• 1988 – Vlaams Filmmuseum en -archief (Flemish film museum) established.^[20]
• 1995
  • Louis Tobback becomes mayor.
  • City becomes part of the Flemish Brabant province.
  • Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven [nl] (school) established.
• 1998 – Grand Béguinage designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

21st century

• 2002
  • Oud-Heverlee Leuven football club formed.
• 2008 – Anheuser-Busch InBev headquartered in city.
• 2011 – Cyclocross Leuven begins.
• 2013 – Population: 97,656.
• 2021 - 2021 UCI Road World Championships road race events finish in Leuven.

See also

• Leuven history
• History of Leuven [nl]
• List of mayors of Leuven
• List of historical monuments in Leuven [nl]
• Other names of Leuven
• List of colleges of Leuven University
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Liège