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Academic libraries in Leuven

The city of Leuven in Belgium was the seat of three successive universities, each of which had a notable academic library.

The Library of the State University[edit]

The State University of Leuven, founded in 1817, also established a library. In 1826 the librarian was Karl Bernhardi. He was succeeded by P. Namur.


The nucleus of its collection was formed by the works of the municipal library of Leuven that the city offered the State University in 1817. In addition, the State University received from the government of the Netherlands the sum of 20,000 guilders to enrich its book funds.

University Hall (Leuven)

Universities in Leuven

Old University of Leuven

State University of Leuven

Catholic University of Mechlin

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Université catholique de Louvain

Discovering Belgium, 25 September 2022.

When the University of Leuven Library Was Burnt Down – Twice!