Enjoying a panoramic view of Leuven

The Keizersberg Abbey (Abdij van Keizersberg) is located in the north of the Leuven.

This 19th-century Benedictine abbey was built by monks from Maredsous Abbey. A long wall encloses the building and surrounding grounds so that the complex is reminiscent of an old fortress. 

There is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary in the abbey. In 1905, the Leuven sculptor Benoît Van Uytvanck was asked to produce a scale design for a statue of the Virgin Mary. The design, which still stands in the west wing of the abbey, was carried out the following year.  The sober neo-Gothic statue depicts a crowned Mary, standing – in contrast to the seated Sedes Sapientiae – and wrapped in a large cloak, with the child Jesus on her left arm holding a globe on his knee.

The garden is a public park, offering a beautiful view of the city.  This hill is also known among Leuven residents as 'Boelenberg' or 'Borgberch. 

(Source: https://www.visitleuven.be/en/keizersberg-abbey), photo by Aslı Tezcan