Outside you already have admired the bell tower of the University Library. This tower renders the building quite unique, for very few libraries can boast of having a carillon. Here you see the tower’s original scale model, used during the building’s construction in the years 1921-1928. The scale model was made in the workshop of the Leuven-based sculptor Jozef Van Uytvanck. The lower section of the tower up to the balcony is 48 meters high. The carillon originally had 48 bells, but since 1983 there are 63 bells. On its four clock faces there are 48 gilded stars. This recurring number of 48 is a reference to what was then the total number of American states, prior to the joining of Alaska and Hawaii. The clockwork and carillon were a gift from American engineers, as a memorial to their colleagues who died on the Western front during the First World War. Would you like to visit the tower? Tickets can be bought at the reception desk.

Now go back to the reception where you received this audio guide. Scan your ticket to open the doors. In front of you, you see large wooden doors with iron gates, the site of the next audio excerpt.

Press A to listen to the walking instructions once again.

A