Press and media
Questions and interviews
- Do you have a question about the restoration, history or repurposing of the Abdij van Park heritage site?
- Would you like to arrange an interview with an art historian, restoration architect, Norbertine priest or one of our abbey site partners?
Please contact us by telephone. We will respond to your request as soon as possible.
About Park Abbey
42 hectares of heritage near Leuven
On the outskirts of Leuven lies Park Abbey, a bustling place of culture, heritage and encounters. The beautiful abbey complex is one of the best preserved in Western Europe.
The Norbertine fathers have lived continuously on the site since 1129. Over the centuries, the abbey has retained its authenticity. The surrounding buildings – such as the farm, watermill, church and graveyard, gatehouses, tithe barn and even the fishing ponds – are virtually unchanged since the 17th century and create a unique collection.
Sustainable repurposing with numerous partners
The domain lives on in its typical and spiritual atmosphere thanks to a large restoration campaign that will run until 2025 in collaboration with the City of Leuven.
Within a sustainable repurposing programme, various spaces have been given a contemporary function in their historic context. This has been achieved with partner organisations on the abbey site including museum PARCUM, Alamire Foundation (the study centre for polyphonic music at KU Leuven), the Abbey Farm (a partnership of various partners working in organic urban agriculture) and abbey brewery, Braxatorium Parcensis. Through the Norbertines, the monastery’s functions live on in accordance with tradition.
The heart of the abbey
The interior contains true art treasures such as unique stucco ceilings in the monastery library and refectory, and the corridor with 20 monumental glass panels from the 17th century. After a long restoration, these historic spaces have been reopened to the public.
Exceptional nature reserve
Park Abbey is also a wonderful nature reserve. The exterior spaces of the site have also been given a contemporary interpretation. The abbey site, with its farmlands, lanes, ponds and meadows, is ideal for a walk or bike ride.
Management
The project is a large-scale collaboration with financial support from the government of Flanders. The City of Leuven began the restoration in 2011 with multiple partners by means of a lease agreement with the Norbertine fathers.
Since 2017, the Erfgoedsite Abdij van Park bv, a subsidiary of the Autonoom Gemeentebedrijf Stadsontwikkeling Leuven, has been responsible for the management, restoration, redevelopment, public access and identity management of the entire abbey site.
Images of the cloister
Photos: © Cedric Verhelst
Images of the domain
Photos: © Cedric Verhelst