The Meeting Logo

Central in the logo of ECM23 the outline of the town hall of Leuven is shown on a blue sky. This sky is in fact a two-dimensional diffraction pattern of a biological macromolecule, with superimosed on it Europe's flag: a circle of golden stars, symbol of Europe's unity and identity. The bottom of the logo refers to the Belgian flag: three equal vertical stripes in black, yellow and red.
The logo was designed by Cédric DAGORN.

More about the town hall...

The magnificent town hall of Leuven in Brabantine Gothic style can be admired at the Grote Markt (Market Square). The harmonious dimensions and rich decoration make the town hall a shrine of medieval splendor. The first stone was laid in 1439, the designer was the architect Sulpitius Van der Vorst. He died shortly afterwards and architect Keldermans continued his work. When Keldermans died in 1445 a third architect, Mathijs de Layens, continued the construction from 1447 until 1468. It was Mathijs de Layens who gave the flamboyant Gothic look to the building. He is therefore considered the creator of the town hall. In 1706 the staircase at the entrance was added. The town hall was renovated for the first time in the 19th century. New neo-gothic elements and statues were added to further decorate the façade. This was due to the French writer Victor Hugo, who, during his stay in Leuven, insisted that statues should be made to fill out the empty niches because he found that such a splendid building could not be left unfinished.
The town hall looks like a delicately wrought relic shrine. It shows the late gothic style at its most splendid. The elegant lines are accentuated by the proportions of the facades. The main facades have 10 bays , whereas the side facades have only 3. The vertical movement, so typical for the Gothic style, is reinforced by the slim towers at all four corners of the building. There is a total of 236 statues (made in the 19th century). The two rows of the ground floor represent artists, scholars and eminent past
citizens of the Leuven. The first floor diplays figures who symbolise the municipal privileges and the patron saints of the parishes. On the second floor the Counts of Leuven and the Dukes of Brabant are shown. The turrets represent biblical figures.
The interior is also worth visiting. The different rooms are richly decorated with paintings (amongst others paintings of the Mayors of Leuven since 1794). In the entrance hall are four statues by the 19th century Belgian sculptor Constantin Meunier.

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