Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belgium Leuven Middelpunt van Leuven
AO Edited

Middelpunt van Leuven

This unassuming stone bollard is a centuries-old marker denoting the center of the city.

Leuven, Belgium

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

You can find monuments at all sorts of geographically notable points, from a country's highest point to a continent's most southwestern. While most of these markers are relatively recent, some date back much further. The midpoint marker of Leuven is one of the oldest in the world.

The Middelpunt van Leuven is an unassuming stone bollard with a zero carved into it that sits outside of a clothing store. Most sources will tell you that it dates back to 1975, when it was installed in this spot by Mannen van het jaar (Men of the Year), a club that groups its members by the number their birth year ends in. Specifically, this was a project by the Men of the '0' (anyone born in a year that ended in zero: 1900, 1910, 1920, and so on). They felt that they had a poetic connection to the zero point. 

But the group did not make the stone or identify the location, they simply installed it in a new location after its original location a few dozen meters to the south became a road. 

The same group found historical photos of the stone, with the oldest one dating back to 1864. It is not known precisely how much older the stone is, or who originally placed it.

Related Tags

Cities Monuments Geography Geographic Markers

Know Before You Go

The stone is freely accessible.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Published

September 4, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20140128_00950944
  • https://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/blpla_20120906_001?journeybuilder=nopaywall&utm_source=google
Middelpunt van Leuven
14 Mechelsestraat
Leuven, 3000
Belgium
50.880346, 4.700464
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Leuven Historical Measures

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Paep Thoon

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Fons Sapientiae

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leuven

Leuven

Belgium

Places 14

Nearby Places

Leuven Historical Measures

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Paep Thoon

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Fons Sapientiae

Leuven, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leuven

Leuven

Belgium

Places 14

Related Places

  • Tri-States Monument and Delaware River

    Port Jervis, New York

    Tri-States Monument

    A pair of 19th-century granite markers symbolically record where the state boundaries of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania intersect.

  • 49th Parallel North Monument in Prešov, Slovakia

    Prešov, Slovakia

    49th Parallel North Monument

    A quirky monument to the 49th parallel in downtown Prešov, Slovakia.

  • Monument to the geographic center of Belgium

    Walhain, Belgium

    Geographic Center of Belgium

    This metal monument marking the middle of Belgium represents three regions coming together to form one country.

  • Buggenhout, Belgium

    Middelpunt van Vlaanderen

    The geographic midpoint of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.

  • North face of the monument.  170 miles, 47 chains from Oregon to here.  A “chain” is 66 feet, so there are 80 chains in a mile.

    Verdi, Nevada

    Von Schmidt Monument

    An iron monument on the 120th meridian as surveyed, one of only four marking the boundary between Nevada and California north of Lake Tahoe.

  • Piazza San Rufo, with the marker in the foreground.

    Rieti, Italy

    Umbilicus Italiae

    The disputed geographic center, or "navel," of Italy.

  • The Geographic Center of NYC is located on a traffic meridian on Queens Boulevard.

    Queens, New York

    Geographic Center of New York City

    This mysterious marker puzzles pedestrians and infuriates geographers.

  • Polotsk, Belarus

    Geographic Center of Europe

    A monument in the Belarusian city of Polotsk claims to mark the exact midpoint of the European continent.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.