Opening address

Abstract

In 1526, almost five hundred years ago, somebody from the neighbourhood of Tongeren was standing here as the central authority at the occasion of the inauguration of this freshly finished new building. It was Mary of Hamal. Hamal is a hamlet just south of Tongeren. It was she who ordered to build a church and convent on this very spot and who supervised the day by day progress of the construction works. She could be very proud of the result, indeed: in less than five years she succeeded in creating a charming small monastery and a magnificent church in this location. The former convent is now converted into a library. It constitutes the newest accomplishment in the building programme of the K.U.Leuven. The university is very proud with this result: it is a project with a rich cultural-historical value, with an impressive modern architectural value and a clear educational-scientific value as a modern scientific library for the university community. I would like to say a few words about all three aspects.