KU Leuven archives mark 50th anniversary with unique film

The archives preserve documents from and about the university, which was established in 1425. It is a unique heritage collection, ranging from papal bulls to contemporary digital documents.

“Our slogan is ‘the living memory of the university’. We try to preserve all archive documents for eternity,” says archivist Kjell Corens. “The intention is that everyone can use them, for research, for example. This includes residents of Leuven who might be looking for a grandfather who once studied at KU Leuven.”

The archive mainly contains items that have only one copy. “That distinguishes us from libraries, where you find books that have been printed in multiple copies,” says Corens.

“You’ll find parchment certificates, student magazines, posters of student parties, as well as objects that have a connection with the university, such as flags of student associations, old banners, photo albums of professors’ travels, and picture postcards.”

In addition, the archives contain a wealth of visual material, including De Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (The Catholic University of Leuven), a film by Pierre Levie from 1960. It has been digitised and was screened on Friday at an academic session.

“It’s a kind of propaganda film for the university and was intended to introduce people to university life. The film was shown in Catholic colleges throughout Flanders to encourage pupils to study at the University of Leuven,” says Corens.

“It’s a unique historical document and gives a good impression of the late 1950s and early 1960s. These are just about the last images that exist from before the university split. Ten years later, the university looked very different because it had been split into two new institutions.’

For people who know the university, there are some familiar landmarks, like the Alma student restaurant and the opening of the academic year with the Procession of the Togati. But there are also many things that look very different.

Corens: “You can still see people handling radioactive material without protection at the Institute for Nuclear Physics. The student population is also very different. At that time, students wore suits and ties, and female students were very few and far between, as were foreign students. Diversity has increased considerably since then.”

The film will be shown to the public in the autumn, in collaboration with Cinema ZED in the city, as part of celebrations marking 600 years since the university was founded.