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Welcome reception in the Leuven City Hall (Monday evening)
(included in the registration fee)
Guided walking tour in Leuven (Tuesday evening)
(included in the registration fee)
Lunches
Very affordable and subsided lunches will be served to all BFG participants in the university restaurant on the conference site.
Conference dinner (Thursday evening)
The gala dinner in 14th century buildings of "Faculty Club" will include a reception at 18:45, a 4 course menu starting at 19:30, and all drinks. It is highly sponsored and intended for all conference participants, but as BFG sponsoring was lower than expected aparticipation fee is asked.
The price of tickets is
- 20 EURO for conference participants
- 60 EURO for all external participants
Excursion to Afsnee and Ghent (Wednesday afternoon)
On Wednesday afternoon a guided visit to the village Afsnee and the historic city of Ghent is organized.
Ghent, the "city of Artevelde" is the capital of the province 'East Flanders' and is located only 100 km away from Leuven. The city looks back on a long and rich history. For centuries, it has been a famous center of the textile and cloth industry, which has brought fortune and prosperity to the city. This prosperity and (economic) power is reflected by the famous "three towers" ((i) the Cathedral of Saint-Bavo, (ii) the curch of Saint-Nicolas and (iii) the Belfry), and the "Gravensteen" castle.
Cathedral of Saint-Bavo
The cathedral was once no more than a small parish church. But nothing remains of the original chapel consecrated in 942. The oldest parts of the cathedral are two Romanesque aisles in the crypt, which date from 1150. Inside the cathedral you will find dozens of art treasures to captivate you. In addition to such delights as the overpowering 1745 rococo pulpit and a superb Rubens, this cathedral is privileged to be the home of the most important work in the history of Flemish art: "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by the Van Eyck brothers. In addition, the mysterious and unsolved theft of the part representing the "Just Judges" in 1934, has become a myth in Flanders.
Church of Saint-Nicolas
Begun in the early 1200s as a replacement for an earlier Romanesque church, the construction of the church of Saint Nicolas continued through the rest of the century in the local "Scheldt Gothic" style (named after the nearby "Schelde" river). Typical of this style is the use of blue-grey stone from the Tournai area, the single large tower above the crossing, and the slender turrets at the building's corners.
Belfry
At the top of this noble watchtower, the dragon keeps guard over both the inhabitants of the city and its freedoms, which it acquired in 1180. This dragon is already the third identical copy of the original 400 kilo copper colossus, and the 1377 original is on display in the watchman's room. Since 1999 the belfry has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list of protected monuments.
"Gravensteen"
The imposing Castle of the Counts, built in 1180, is unique in the world since it is one of the sole massive fortresses in the centre of a city. Anyone who visits Ghent without going inside deserves the thumbscrews, the dungeon or perhaps even the guillotine (last used in 1861), all of which are on display inside. While you stand looking at the castle from the count's bailey, you might almost forget you were in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, Ghent is a lively city, proud of its rich past. It is not, however, a museum town, rather a successful mixture of impressive medieval buildings, fashionable shopping streets with magnificent city palaces, early 20th century working class quarters, now mostly inhabited by students and so much more. You will find lively squares where you can enjoy the lovely local foods and drinks at a pleasant terrace (for example at the" "Graslei and "Korenlei" along the "Leie" river), all day and half the night.
The guided visit to Afsnee and Ghent takes from 2-10 p.m. and includes:
- travel by bus to Afsnee
- visit of the Roman-style church (12th century)
- short organ concert (20') on the renovated instrument (18th century)
- drink (coffee,...) on a terrace overlooking the river "Leie"
- travel by bus to Gent city center
- guided tour
- free time /or/ organized dinner including all drinks
- travel back to Leuven
The price is 60 EURO including dinner, or 30 EURO with dinner at own expenses.
For more information:
Ghent Touristic Information
Restaurant "Het Pakhuis"
Theft of the "Just Judges"
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