Hertogensite: a journey through the past, from early Leuven to today

The island in the heart of Leuven, where the Hertogensite is located, has been densely inhabited for more than a thousand years: Vikings, the duke, the hospital sisters, the Dominicans and the Friars Minor, … To this day, the Hospital Sisters have left their mark on the area through the Elisabeth Hospital, Sint-Pieters, Sint-Rafael, Heilig Hart, Sint-Jozef and Sint-Lucas hospitals. Where did those names come from? There was an ice cellar for patients, and revolutionary techniques such as radiotherapy were developed here. Today, greenery and modern apartment buildings have taken their place, and Avenue Gérard is once again as it used to be—but has the site really lost its medical character?

Main stops: Sint-Jacobskerk, Oud Gasthuis, Predikherenkerk, Hertogensite (various locations), Minderbroedersstraat, Maison Maisin