To mark the 600th anniversary of the University of Leuven — now known as UCLouvain and KU Leuven — Musée L is unveiling two temporary exhibitions and a completely renewed area within its permanent collection. One of the oldest still-active universities in the world, this milestone is not to be missed. With Happy U!, visitors can explore not only the university’s rich legacy and diverse roles but also six centuries of societal evolution.
The University of Leuven (UCLouvain) was founded in 1425 and has survived the centuries by embracing innovative ideas, adapting to social changes, and constantly renewing the transmission of knowledge in accordance with its evolving environment. From the scientific revolution initiated by Georges Lemaître to today’s commitment to inclusion and ecological transition, the university has always been a beacon of commitment to education, research, and society. Musée L is presenting multiple exhibitions: an anniversary exhibition that reveals the university behind the scenes, with both big and small stories; a tribute to a often-forgotten but meaningful and structuring tool of academic life: the lecture note; and finally, a renewed space in the permanent exhibition that reveals the scientific process in all its complexity — full of doubts, failures, but also groundbreaking breakthroughs.
Happy U! – The anniversary of UCLouvain
Location: 3rd floor – large temporary exhibition hall
To celebrate its 600th anniversary, UCLouvain tells its story in a surprising way. The exhibition transforms the main hall of Musée L into a symbolic apartment, a festive place where everyone is welcome. Visitors move from room to room. They pass through the kitchen, library, bar, and lounge, and in doing so discover the many facets of the university.
Happy U! is set up in a playful and accessible way and invites everyone to discover a dynamic institution. The history and functioning of the university are presented alongside current themes and social developments. The exhibition poses a central question: what does a university mean today? It is not only a place for research and knowledge transfer, but also an institution that is actively committed to the challenges of our time.
Embellir le savoir: student lecture notes from past and present
Location: 1st floor – temporary exhibition space
Curator: Gwendoline de Mûelenaere (UCLouvain – FNRS)
How did students take notes in the past and why did they decorate their notebooks with drawings? This exhibition goes back several centuries to an everyday act that may seem simple but reveals a lot about the past. In thirty old manuscripts from the 16th to 18th century, from the collections of UCLouvain, students copied their lessons and enriched them with drawings, prints, collages, and symbols. Sometimes these images had a clear educational function, such as logical diagrams, anatomical illustrations, or interactive dials. But they also show that students expressed a surprising amount of humor, imagination, and decoration. Caricatures, festive scenes, and religious or political allegories adorn the philosophical texts of Aristotle. The exhibition also shows how this creativity continued in later times — from fountain pens and typewriters to handmade copies and eventually course packs and highlighters. Image and text still reinforce each other today: to better understand, to remember, and sometimes simply for fun. In this way, lecture notes become more than a learning tool. They become cultural objects that reveal how students throughout the centuries engaged with knowledge, their environment, and themselves.
The passion for research: redesign of the permanent exhibition space on research
Location: 2nd floor – permanent exhibition
To mark the 600th anniversary, the research space at Musée L has been given a fresh new design. The exhibition not only shows the results of researchers but also reveals how the scientific process works. It’s not just about success, but also about moments of doubt, setbacks, and uncertainty. This way, research is presented as a constantly evolving process, in which curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation are always central.
Practical information
Location
Musée L – University Museum of Louvain
Place des Sciences 3
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Dates
From 5 June 2025 to 22 February 2026
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Weekends and public holidays: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Closed on Mondays
3rd Thursday of the month: evening opening until 10:00 PM
Ticket prices
€8: individual admission
€6: seniors (60+)
€4: groups (min. 10 people)
€3: ages 13–25, people with disabilities
Free: ages 0–12 and every 1st Sunday of the month
Guided tours on request: www.museel.be/groupes
Access
Free private parking located on Voie Minckeleers.
