Sustainable
M-Street pulls the environmentally conscious card at all levels with, among other things, its green facade, heat pumps, solar panels and green products
Self Check-In
M-Street has no staffed reception and is fully automated
Late check-out
Thanks to our late check-out, you can fully enjoy the wonderful nightlife that Leuven has to offer
Lively ambiance
M-Street is located just above the renowned café De Libertad, in the middle of the restaurant street of Leuven
Anti allergy
Our rooms have cork floors; a sustainable choice for which no trees are felled
Henri Van Herwegen, aka Panamarenko (1940-2019) was one of the most important Belgian contemporary artists. He was an inventor, technician, mathematician, philosopher and visionary. All at the same time.
His name is a contraction of three things: first, the airline PanAm (the desire to leave the earth behind is one of his permanent main activities), second, Panama (the word painted on the Aeromodeller, an inflatable zeppelin, that was supposed to fly to the open-air exhibition in Sonsbeek in the Netherlands in 1971) and third, Panteleimon Ponomarenko, a politician from the former Soviet Union, picked up during a radio broadcast.
After his studies at the Antwerp Art Academy, Panamarenko started to exhibit his work in 1963.
Before 1968 he leaned towards Pop Art, but he soon became more interested in airplanes and flying objects.
Since 1970 he designed models of imaginary vehicles, flying backpacks, balloons, helicopters with pedals, floating constructions, zeppelins, airplanes, cockchafers, submarines and walking chickens... in an extremely creative way and became world famous. Whether these objects can actually fly is part of the mystery and appeal.
He came up with a mechanism for the movement of insect wings before scientists did, and he devised a convincing concept for piloted starships. It is virtually impossible to place the work of this artist in a particular style or movement, because his oeuvre is so unique and innovative. “I am not a scientist, nor someone who makes art objects. The most important thing for me is that there is a kind of poetry in what I make," he said.
In 2005, on his 56th birthday, Panamarenko announced the end of his artistic career.
The fax was as brief as it was unexpected: "It's 2005 and I'm 65. I'm going to quit all activities. Best regards, Panamarenko.”
Since then there have been only a few ‘summery’ exhibitions, the last of which, 'Around the World in 80 Years', was presented by photographer Bart Ramakers, to whom another room in this hotel was dedicated and which was a tribute in honor of Panamarenko's 80th birthday.
Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly a few weeks before the premiere on December 14, 2019.
