Post on 17-Aug-2015
Allthough Leuven is a real student city,
there are also other less fortunate citizens
in Leuven.
‘t Lampeke is a community centre where the
urban poor from Leuven can meet each
other.
‘t Lampeke has a lot of activities and a
broad target group; they have a
kindergarden, a children centre, a youth
centre and they organise activities for
adults. ‘t Lampeke helps the adults with
their problems, tries to give them more self
esteem and of course wants them to have
fun.
One of their projects is the community
theatre project 'Compagnie Tartaren' in
which the urban poor work together with
professional theatre makers. ‘t Lampeke
listens carefully to their target group, what
they want and what they need. They also
show that people who are living in a
deprived situation aren't pitiful but strong.
Buurthuis ‘t Lampeke
The office of WIT Architects is
situated in the Mechelsesteenweg,
nr. 225a since 2008.
It is a brand new building, totally
adapted to the soil where it is built
upon. Attention for sunlight is
present in every room of the
building. As one of the architects
explained: “We try to catch as
much sun as possible.”
At this moment, WIT Architects is
designing a plan for a new
academy of arts in Deinze en
Turnhout. Since the fact that
different art types are
interfering and approaching
each other, for the
architects it is a
challenge to arrange the
space in the academy in a
way that is inviting
different art types to
meet, like dance and
painting for example.
WIT architects
In the Mechelsesteenweg we’ve found some shops with an intercultural
character.
Firstly, there is an OXFAM FAIRTRADE shop, in which they sell products from
different developing countries in order to promote a more equal trade for
those who live in bad economical circumstances. Secondly, there is an
international grocery.
We were lucky to have a small talk with the grocer. His motivation to set up
the shop were the many demands for goods from foreign countries,
like Chinese products for example.
The grocer thinks Leuven is an
intercultural city, because he can see
different cultural programs and
when he goes to the park
he recognizes several colours of skin.
Intercultural shops
It's time to get closer to heaven – literally and
figuratively. If you wondered who is looking at you
as you go up the slope, now you know – it is the
Virgin Mary of the Keizersberg Abbey. On the hill
at the very end of Mechelsestraat you can find an
enormous, old monastery Keizersberg which is
now partially a student residence. The abbey was
founded in 1899 and was build on the ruins of an
old medieval castle. Only five people take care of
the whole gigantic building and a little flock of
peacocks. By the door of the monastery you can
find a poem by the famous Flemish priest-poet
Guido Gezelle Gij badt op enen berg alleen (You
pray alone on the mountain). Inside there is a
shop with religious and liturgical books and
mainly Roman Catholic devotions – icons,
paintings, crosses, rosaries and many more. It is
the last shop of this kind in Leuven. The owners
take big pride in their collection of books and
DVD’s. They also offer a big collection of original
icon painted by an artist from Liege and religious
literature for children.
KEIZERSBERG