This hallway provides access to the Main Reading Room. Take a look at the works of art in the hallway. The monumental angel under the bell is a plaster cast for the Basilica of Koekelberg in Brussels by Harry Elstrøm. This Danish-Belgian artist also made the bronze commemorative plaque to the left of the Main Reading Room entrance, showing a portrait of Etienne Van Cauwenbergh. He was librarian of the University Library for as long as 42 years, from 1919 to 1961 which implies that he saw his library being destroyed and rebuilt twice. When Van Cauwenbergh left the library, there was a substantial collection of books and magazines. Unfortunately the university was split in two in 1968, after tension between the local French- and Dutch-speaking communities. As a consequence, in the 1970s the book collection of the library was divided between the two campuses KU Leuven and UCL in Louvain-La-Neuve. Nowadays there is a good understanding between the two universities. You see three paintings showing heroes of the Great War by the Brussels painter Albert Ciamberlani. They served as designs for mosaics of a palace in Brussels, located in Jubelpark. The bust next to Van Cauwenbergh represents Emile Francqui, a Brussels banker and benefactor of Leuven university. Francqui worked together closely with Herbert Hoover, both during the First World War and the period of rebuilding afterwards. Now also have a look at the doors leading into the Main Reading Room. You see a modern interpretation of the Sedes Sapientiae, the seat of wisdom, which is also the emblem of KU Leuven. This image of Congolese copper was designed by the Brussels artist Jacques Moeschal. In addition, you can see two inscriptions above the doors, one in Latin and one in Greek. The Latin sentence on the left translates as “Wisdom has built a home for itself” and the Greek text on the right as “Wisdom allows one to build a home”. This text was also above the entrance to the original library in the Naamsestraat.

Now enter the Main Reading Room. When walking to the middle of the room, please be silent and turn the volume of your audioguide down by pressing the left button. So no to disturb the library users, we kindly ask you to keep to the middle. During the weekend you can walk around at your ease.

Would you like to listen to the walking instruction once again? Press A.

A