The museum of the Catholic University of Louvain, Musée L, on Wednesday unveiled two temporary exhibitions commemorating the 600th anniversary of the University.
One exhibition delves into the university’s history, while the other explores the evolution of note-taking. The exhibitions will be open from 5 June until 22 February 2026.
The second floor of the Musée L has also been revamped to better illustrate the complexity of the scientific process.
The ‘Happy U’ anniversary exhibition is housed on the third floor of the Musée L and is designed like a symbolic apartment with rooms reflecting various aspects of the university, including its history, behind-the-scenes activities, practices, institutional engagement, research, and intellectual pursuits.
The other temporary exhibition, ‘Embellir le savoir, is on the first floor. It highlights the evolution of note-taking through about thirty manuscripts from the 16th to 18th centuries, alongside more recent notes, images, humorous elements such as caricatures and puns, highlighted syllabuses, and logical diagrams.
This exhibition suggests that course notes are cultural artefacts, reflecting students’ relationship with knowledge and their era.
The reorganisation of the permanent collection on the Musée L’s second floor aligns with the university’s 600th anniversary celebrations by showcasing university research. Themes include unexpected discoveries, transmission, collaboration, disruptions and doubts.
