Universiteitsarchief KU Leuven

  • University Archives Leuven
  • AKUL

History

The University Archives of Leuven have had an eventful history due to wars and political entanglements. Due to the French Revolution, the bulk of the archive ended up in the hands of the government. The fond of the old university is now held by the State Archives in Leuven. During the First World War, the archives of the nineteenth-century university went up in flames.

The archive was established as a department in the library in the 1960s of the then bilingual university. In preparation for the five hundred fiftieth anniversary of the university in 1975 a new department was launched under the leadership of prof. Dr. Jan Roegiers. The University Archives has become a full department within the KU Leuven and preserves a collection of approximately six linear kilometers.

Archival and Other Holdings

The University Archives, together with the department of Cultural Heritage are a central service of the university that is integrated into the University Library. The collection covers some six linear kilometers and is subdivided into the following funds:

Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication

The University Archives' collections can be searched via the following link:

https://www.kuleuven.be/kunstenerfgoed/universiteitsarchief/collecties/archieven-en-verzamelingen

Opening Times

Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Accessibility

The University Archive is housed in the University Library at the Mgr. Ladeuzeplein. This is in the heart of the city and ten minutes walk from the Leuven train station. There is a car park under the Mgr. Ladeuzeplein.

Sources

  • Barbara Dickschen and the University Archives website consulted on 19/07/2019

  • Pierre-Alain Tallier (dir.), Gertjan Desmet & Pascale Falek-Alhadeff, Sources pour l'histoire des populations juives et du judaïsme en Belgique/Bronnen voor de geschiedenis van de Joden en het Jodendom in België, 19de-21ste eeuw, Brussel, ARA-AGR/Avant-Propos, 2016, 1,328 p.

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