The week in Leuven, 1-3 August

MONDAY, Leuven (I/II)

Leuven: a medieval city, a near perfect circle, big but not so big, and like our last three cities, rebuilt after the Great War. Our tour with Prof. Patrick Pasteure touched on several issues:

-By a statue of Justo Lipsio, the Professor discussed the University, the pride of the city, its role in the humanist movement of the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as the events known as "The Flames of Leuven" (more on this tomorrow).

-In the 15th century, Leuven was in competition with Brussels, the underdog, for the seat of the duke and thus the status of Belgian capital. Construction follies and monetary overambition lead to Leuven's loss, although through these efforts, KU.Leuven was founded in 1425.

-The city hall, designed by the same gothic architect as Brussels', is a "box" meant to house the symbolic power of Leuven, its freedoms and liberties. It must have been overwhelming when it was painted colorfully; in recent decades it's been black, it's been white, and it now features the same dilapidated "natural" color of Brussels'.

-The city hall faces the church, as if the their juxtaposition reflects the question of authority in a society of church and state. The church's baroque architecture reaches for the heavens to cry out its power. It continues to organize social work, receive public taxmoney and influence politics. Similarly, the Catholic K.U.Leuven is 95% funded by the public.

-The Onthaal-Sint-Pieterskerk once housed the original van der Weyden triptych, "The Desent of the Cross." Presumably for safekeeping there is replica in its place. At the church we saw the masterpiece "Last Supper" by Dirk Bouts.

-The Beguinage may be the quaintest place in Belgium, where during the 12th and 13th centuries, sisters of the church initiated a community of social help.

-In the 17th century, missionaries such as Ferdinand Verbiest studied and assimilated into Chinese culture in the name of evangelical strategy. Their efforts lead to the promotion of China in Europe, its philosophy, theology and advanced sciences. This had a major impact on the Enlightenment of the 18th century.

We ended our day at the University Library tower and carillon, where Luc Rombouts performed ragtime, Gershwin and the pop song, "Hallelujah." The carillon, we learned, was invented in the low countries 500 years ago when bells were attached to a keyboard. The carillon is therefore a cherished instrument of Belgian identity, similar to what the violin is to Austrian identity. Intellectual and American fondness for the instrument arose when many were destroyed by German troops during the great war. Nowadays, the "carrilioneur is considered one of the most honorable professions in Flanders" (193); clearly, to us it was an honor to experience a private performance. As the day's "master of ceremonies," I wrote to our guest:

Luc Rombouts,

In the heart of our campus, as you know, stands the Campanile - once the tallest tower in our country. To those of us from UC Berkeley, the Campanile is an icon and our carriloneurs are a respected tradition. By guiding and teaching us, and certainly for performing for us (and the entire city), you have brought us closer not just to Leuven but also to home. From all of us, dank u!

TUESDAY, Leuven (II/II)

K.U.Leuven has played a crucial part in the city's identity since it was founded in 1425; it is both the oldest catholic university and the oldest university in the low countries. In 1517, the Collegium Trilingue was founded, initiating the study of Latin, Hebrew and Greek - the original languages of the Bible. In ways this paved the way for humanism, as scholars chose to study the Bible through its original sources, thus pursuing a new, academic theology. Involved with K.U.Leuven were significant notable humanist figures including Erasmus, Lipsius and Mercator - significant religious figures as well: the Dutch Pope Adrian VI and the controversial Cornelius Jansenius. Hannelore Magnus also toured us through the school's cabinet of curiosities, giving us a glimpse into student life through the ages; he also shared samples from the university's collection of primary sources, including letters from Erasmus and Thomas Moore.

War, as it has all over Belgium, left its mark on the history of K.U.Leuven. Monday's guide was modest when he called it "turbulent." During French occupation, in 1797, the university was banned. It was reopened in 1816 by King William I, albeit as a public, non-Catholic institution; regardless, the Belgian Revolution of 1830 challenged Dutch mandates. The events of the 20th century were most tragic: in both world wars the library was burned down by German troops. Tens of thousands of books were lost, not to mention the building. And in 1968, escalating political tension between French- and Dutch-speakers lead to the splitting of the university across the language border. Regardless, K.U.Leuven stands proudly today as Belgium's premier Catholic university. If not the heart of the city, surely it is the brain. It is an honor to know that American solidarity was what made the grand reconstruction of the library possible.

Beer: our afternoon at InBev was a tour of smells and temperatures. The brewing process involves barley, hops, yeast, boiling, chilling and fermenting, and the factory's mass-production makes this all clear: it was hot, cold and smelly. Those of us who don't like beer must not have enjoyed the tour, and would have had an even worse time in the middle ages when beer was the only safe thing to drink. For the rest of us, stella artois on tap crowned the day.

WEDNESDAY, Antwerp

Familiar things in familiar weather in a new, yet surprisingly familiar city. Antwerp, regarded by many [and especially locals] as the greatest city in Belgium, was a fitting conclusion to Dutch 177.

Carilloneur Geert d'Hollander led us to the top of the city tower for a tour, carillon performance and the tallest, grandest panoramic view of Antwerp. The downpour was especially dramatic.

At the Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp, 500 steps below, we saw (in my opinion) the most baroque church yet. It was massive, impressive, and replete with baroque triptychs by the likes of Rubens and his peers.

Similar to what the Zaandam Museum is to Zaandam, except bigger and with modern chic, the MAS serves the same function for Antwerp. The MAS exhibits and explores the history and culture of Antwerp and its role in the world. In essence it is Antwerp's role as a major medieval international sea port that made it as great as it is today.

What is the sea port like today? It is now the second largest in Europe; a cruise aboard the Flandria gave us the chance to explore it and all of its modern industry. Crates from china, banana boats from South America, massive, mechanized drawbridges and cranes. It was also a chance to round out our studies in the low countries. As we had ended our very first day with a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam, so we ended it all on a cruise through the world port of Antwerp.