THE SUMMER OF ON HOLIDAY IN YOUR HOME CITY 2020 1 A city to What sort of playmate are you? Brighten your day with 18 savour In for adventure and plenty of it? Or Leuven’s BIG FIVE! would you rather chill? Whoever you 40-41 Are you feeling hungry? are and whatever you do, there’s a spot Check the verges and Leuven Town Hall gets a makeover. Our Gothic around the corner just for you. between the paving masterpiece has a few new residents in its recesses stones. Can you forage - spot them and colour them in. Hang the finished for a tasty snack? article in your window and cheer everyone up. 4 Dear Leuvener, CITY SAFARI The lion, the The summer of 2020 will be like no other leopard, the summer. In Leuven we like to make the elephant, the Hola, saludos desde Lovaina! best of things, and here in your home city rhinoceros and the you can have a lovelier summer than ever 14 buffalo are Africa’s Find signs of Spain in before. It’s the ideal time for us, the city Big Five. But did the Great Beguinage, council, to encourage all you Leuveners you know that where in the winter of to (re)discover your city. That’s why we’ve Leuven has Five Big 1578 the soldiers burnt made you this holiday magazine. Animals of its own? a wooden house every (and they’re all on Leuven has everything it takes to become day… to stave off the the cover of this your ultimate holiday destination. We’ve bitter cold. Oh, and do magazine!) put together everything you could ever you know how the flag want on your travels: history, culture, of Leuven got its two red leisure, adventure, greenery… and that bands? 8 feeling of spending the ‘summer with the family’. The magazine is full of tips and ideas to make you feel like a tourist in your Loop of THE TOUR own town. Take it with you on a city trek, DE LEUVEN see Japan in or sit out with a cool drink on one of our Leuven 12 leuven terraces and have a good leaf through. Ride, play, ride and Happy holidays play. The Tour de Can we journey to the other side of the 28 Leuven is a great world, to the ‘land of the rising sun’, without Mohamed Ridouani, Mayor way to let off steam leaving our home town? Why not! Did you for the young and know that for a long time KU Leuven the young-at-heart. owned the biggest collection of mangas anywhere outside Japan? 36 This trip lets you see with Listen! Talking Statues SUMMER your own eyes how big QUIZ CITY See and varied the city is. Our city is crowded with statues and (natural) How well do COCKTAIL We cycle Leuven’s outer you know monuments. We get up close to a few of them: limits, encountering fun who are they and what’s on their mind? Rome in Leuven the city? Take 22 33 facts and stopping off the 20-question On a trip through Leuven you’ll soon along the way. test. 38 20, 27, 32 forget Italy. 2 3 Everyone knows what an odd ball you are. And so they should! Well, In the skate park you’ll find me… what sort of shouldn’t they?! For these holidays A ...all over the place. I burn from one object to we’re staying close to home. Are the next on my skateboard. Kicking! you a jungle bird or an action hero? B ...under the mini-ramp. There’s a geocache hiding playmate Or maybe a team player? Take the here somewhere. test and check out your fave local ...on a bench at the side. Chatting away and yelling C playground. Reel off the answers as words of support to my skate mates. are you? you see them. TAKE THE TEST What I like doing best? THE JUNGLE BIRD A Skating, parcours, climbing, diabolo, juggling with You talk to the trees and The best swing in the world… fire… Putting the EX in extreme! hug the bushes. You know them all by name. A …is over a river. Or a precipice. Crank up Climbing trees, setting up camp, geocashing, I get to help choose a new community B You’re the camp site the stress! hide-and-seek… In the woods, preferably! playground. I go for… engineer. You’d love the B …hangs from the branch of a huge tree. Team games like volleyball, Kubb, petanque… spend the night there. ...a mega death-ride. Thundering down from C A Or you swing on a vine. Whatever gets people involved. But you only make stuff the treetops on a wire: Yeah! Megaaaah!! with dead branches. Nature C …is a Flying Dutchman. Swing and scream ...a massive Wiglo. Encamped among the all the way! is your friend. You don’t need toys, B THE ACTION HERO living willow branches, you can’t get deeper in Check your they’re growing all around you. The answers. the wilderness than THAT, can you!? You get off on ultimate survival expert lives on height and anything, even the weeds on the city ...sunken seats around a camp fire. Is that In a soapbox race I’d be driving... Were they C speed. You’re paths. Nettle soup, anyone? allowed in a playground? No idea. But it mostly A? You’re A the Speedster: stripped down and plain, but attracted to sounds like a great chill zone. obviously an BLUE is your colour fast as lightning. danger. You action hero! on the next page the Hedge: not the quickest, but beautifully don’t know B when to stop. made from natural materials. Or mostly B? In Nobody tries to THE TEAM PLAYER When I hear the word ‘slide’ I think… which case you’re the Ice-cream Van: handing out lollies to my stop you. If you’re not soaked a jungle bird. A …the longer, the steeper, the better! Whey hey! C mates. to the skin, you haven’t enjoyed Being alone gives you the jitters. The yourself. Scraped your knee? You more the merrier. You’re the Instagram …a big sheet of plastic, some soap and water Or was C your B just laugh it off. At the fracture expert. You get your friends together. and OFF WE GO!! favourite? You’re clinic they know you by name. Sociability and team spirit are your thing. never alone, like C …or snaking down? Eight friends When I go out to play I take… If someone calls you out, they’d Chillin’ on the bank of the Dyle the team player. going down conga-style: what a A ...an energy drink and dextrose. I want to hit it! better be ready. Yes, helloooo! with your mates at sundown: laugh! And hit it hard! We’re not wimping out, are we?! yeah, bring it on! Full spread Your route is picnic in the park? You think B ...a penknife, a ball of string and a marked out on the ORANGE is your of everything. A day without magnifying glass. following pages. colour on the next laughter is a day wasted. FUN, Jump on your bike page ...a game of Kubb and a bag of FUN, FUN! C and scope the sweets. Team spirit FTW!! place out! RED is your colour on the next page Action hero Jungle bird Team player activities activities activities DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? Get high and mighty Chill with mates in the peace the guide Follow and climb those towers and quiet of the city centre in on the Philips Square Sluispark. playground! Where?? Vaartstraat Where?? Nieuwe in Leuven Kerkhofdreef in Heverlee “Hip, hipper, hipster DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? Get you and all your mates in Vaartkom” Slide your skin off Sint-Lambertus together at the Toverberg! on Leuven’s longest playground is for kids Where?? Toverberg Maarten Vanwalleghem side in Michotte who don’t let obstacles in Heverlee of Leuven Inside Out park! hold them back. DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? Where?? Where?? Sint- Track stuff down in the REAL playing is what “Vaartkom is symbolic of Fun guaranteed at the Be king of the sports Tiensesteenweg 190 Lambertus Square in country, go geocaching you do in a natural Leuven – innovation comes Bleydenberg play area! grounds in Spaanse Kroon! in Kessel-Lo Heverlee in Kessel-Lo! materials playground along, but it is always in Where?? Albert Wouterstraat Where?? Spaanse Where?? like the Genadedal sympathy with the past. The in Wilsele village (entrance via Kroonlaan in Leuven neighbourhood is dotted with Tiensesteenweg 21 play area. school car park) in Kessel-Lo Where?? Kesselveld street art. Visual artist Pieter in Kessel-Lo Janssens has his spaceman leaping into de Vaart (on DO WHAT?? Stapelhuisstraat) and a little Observe human man defying the silos on the animals and their AB Inbev site. Further along manners at OPEK. he has installed The Beating Where?? Victor Heart , a PET-bottle structure Broos Square in that makes us stop and Leuven think hard about our use of DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? plastics. There’s something Flex the muscles in the Learn wick tricks to be said about every piece open air at the Barpark on your skateboard, DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? of work in Vaartkom.” Sport Oasis. Work out blades, step or BMX Inhale pure oxygen and The best athletics and live longer! in the Sport Oasis do the Heverlee Forest track in Leuven is in DO WHAT?? DO WHAT?? A playground Where?? skate park! fit-o-meter! Heuvelhof park, and Hang out and have fun on and meeting place you really “Have you spotted the Geldenaaksebaan in Where?? Philipssite Where?? At the Her- it’s made from… tree Rietens Square! shouldn’t miss? Check out beautiful peacock on Heverlee 6 in Heverlee endreef, Filosofenlaan bark! Where?? Rietens Square in Kwadenhoek! Mechelsestraat? Or the work and Beukenlaan inter- Where?? Kesselveld Wijgmaal Where?? Bavenhofstraat 4 of our favourite Leuven- section in Heverlee in Kessel-Lo in Wilsele-Putkapel based artist Bisser on Burchtstraat?” DO WHAT?? More about Maarten and Sink or swim? WHERE DO WE PLAY TODAY? about Leuven Inside Out? Discover the secret powers of water in Do you want to make your own map of the sports grounds and Have a look at the Provincial Estate.