Park Abbey
Abdij van Park

Embark on a journey through time in this 12th-century abbey. Relax by the ponds and explore the walking trails, or pamper your senses at the small farm shop and brewery.

Park Abbey (Dutch: “Abdij van Park”) is a Premonstratensian abbey a few km south of the city of Leuven. Ever heard of Premonstratensians? It’s a religious order of the Catholic church.

Park Abbey has a super long history. TL;DR: the abbey got its start in 1129 by the Duke of Brabant, Godfrey I the Bearded. Yup, names were cooler back then. It’s seen holy war, been forced to close down, and had almost as many expansions as the Sims.

These days, Park Abbey is one of the most visited abbeys in Flanders.

• Rebuilding history: the abbey is still a work-in-progress! Most of it is all done so it won’t affect your visit really, but some renovations are still happening. They say everything will be finished up by 2025.
• The grounds of the abbey are open to the public: visit the library, the refectory, the dormitories and much more. There’s tons of artwork to see here too. One tip: when you visit, take a look at the library ceiling.
• The outside matches the inside: shout out to Mother Nature! If historical buildings are not your thing, you can still enjoy the beautiful ponds or just take a walk in nature. Follow this 3-km walking trail map to see all those natural gems.
• Eat local...: The organic horticulture project De Wikke started an organic vegetable garden right outside the Abbey. The garden is always open to hikers. If you wanna get your hands on the fresh produce harvested here, the abbey farm shop De Wikke is the spot for you.
• ...and drink local!: Since 2019, the Abbey has even been brewing its own beer! More info about the project here. The most important info, though: you can buy the different kinds of “Abbey beers” at De Wikke.