The relationship between the two language groups of Belgium, French and Dutch, are not always very pleasant. An example of such feuds can be seen in the town of Leuven and the creation of the new town of Leuven-la-Neuve.
Leuven was a college town, an older town filled with the large cathedrals and grand old buildings that mark the countryside of Europe. The Dutch and French speaking Belgians both attended the college in relative harmony until tensions worsened and the Dutch decided to kick out the French speakers from the college town. Any classes previously taught in French were changed into Dutch, any markings of the French Belgian culture were removed and everything became strictly Dutch.
In retaliation, the French that had been kicked out decided to create a whole new town to host their new French college. The city is renowned in Belgium for being modern, especially compared to the old city of Leuven. The city was named Leuven-la-neuve (The New Leuven).
I was intrigued by the story and the result of the clashing languages and was interested in visiting both the citys to see just how different the old and new Leuven were.
Leuven: Old buildings, beautiful architecture, a very old city that shared many resemblances to the other ancient Beglian cities. It is in fact one of the prettiest city's I have been to in Belgium. And on top of that, all the people there were extremely nice. Watch out for the bikes though!
Leuven-la-Neuve: A markedly 'new' city of Belgium which still retains the brick building. The city has many more apartments and houses than Leuven, and also a larger shopping center. The city has a more atypical set up which I found more interesting than particularly pretty. There are many more parks and forests and also a younger population as the city is very much just a college campus. The train station is much, much smaller than Leuven and needs some fixing up!
(April 6)
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