Introduction
Louvain-la-Neuve (pop. 30,000), 30km south of Brussels, is an almost exclusively student town. The town was only founded in 1972, after the split of the University of Leuven (Louvain in French) between the Dutch and French speakers in 1968, thus creating the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL).
Louvain-la-Neuve is not only th newest town in Belgium, but also a quite particular one, as half of its population are currently attending its university, while the other half is made mostly of former students, making it also the youngest town in the country.
The novelty of the town means that there is of course no historical buildings, but Louvain-la-Neuve make it up by its architectural harmony, pure air (the town is mostly pedestrian) and its spaciousness. It was designed around a lake and the modern layout of its streets certainly contrast with that of other Belgian cities.
In other words, Louvain-la-Neuve is more like a very big village where people greet each others at almost every corner, and parties presides over the life of its inhabitants.
The only "tourist attraction" is Museum of Louvain-la-Neuve, although the whole city could be seen as an attraction in itself.
How to get there
Louvain-la-Neuve has its own train line connecting it to Brussels (30min from Brussels-Luxembourg, or 45min from Brussels-Central) and Namur (35min).
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