The story behind this historical square starts with a pig.
In the 15th century, an inn called 'in 't Wild Verken',
translated as 'The Wild Pig',
inspired the name of a college of the university, also located on this square.
In the 16th century, Jan Standonck bought this residency and changed the name to
the Standonck College.
It then became one of the most severe colleges of Leuven: meat was never served there and
students had to eat their meal while standing up.
On Wednesdays and Fridays they weren't even allowed to eat at all.
A little later, during the French Revolution, the building fell into a state of decay and
was replaced by a cosy square to accentuate the monumental façade of the Pauscollege
or Pope's College. The French called this square the 'Place Impériale'.
But once a pig, always a pig. The older population of Leuven still calls the square and
its surrounding buildings 'Het Varken', which of course means 'The Pig'.
Now, if you'll excuse me, all this pig-talk has made me hungry, so I'm going to go 'pig-out'!