Julius Vuylsteke
Encyclopedia
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
liberal politician and writer. He started his career as a lawyer, but later opened a bookshop. As a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, he founded the liberal association 't zal wel gaan
't zal wel gaan
TSG 't Zal wel gaan, is a non-profit student society founded in the 19th century to promote Flemish culture and liberalism in Flanders, based at Ghent University. Since its inception, the student fraternity was characterized by its progressive, Flemish, and libertarian nature. It supports the...
, and he played an important role in the Flemish movement
Flemish movement
The Flemish Movement is a popular term used to describe the political movement for emancipation and greater autonomy of the Belgian region of Flanders, for protection of the Dutch language, and for the over-all protection of Flemish culture and history....
. Julius Vuylsteke promoted cultural cooperation of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
with the Netherlands. He became President of the Willemsfonds
Willemsfonds
The Willemsfonds, named after Jan Frans Willems, is a non-profit cultural organization founded in the 19th century to promote Flemish culture and language in Belgium. In order to achieve this goal, the organization encouraged Flemish folk song, organized linguistic games and published inexpensive...
, and after his political career he gave his attention mainly to the history of Flanders. In 1867, he founded the Flemish weekly Het Volksbelang, which appeared for the first time on 12 January 1867. In 1867, Julius De Vigne
Julius De Vigne
Julius De Vigne was a Belgian lawyer, politician and writer. He studied law at the University of Ghent and established himself as a lawyer. For several years, he was a member of the provincial - and municipal Council of Ghent...
was one of the editors together with Julius Sabbe
Julius Sabbe
Julius Ludovicus Maria Sabbe was a Flemish publisher and an active member of the Flemish movement...
, Jozef Van Hoorde
Jozef Van Hoorde
Jozef Van Hoorde was a Flemish writer. He first went to the local school and then to high school at the Koninklijk Athenaeum in Ghent....
, and Adolf Hoste
Adolf Hoste
Adolf Hoste was a publisher in Ghent in the 19th century. He was a publisher of Flemish avant garde, such as Anton Bergmann and Novellen of Rosalie and Virginie Loveling. When the Flemish weekly Het Volksbelang was founded by Julius Vuylsteke, in 1867, he was one of the editors together with Julius...
.
Julius Vuylsteke wrote romantic Flemish nationalistic poems, while he was still a student, which were published in Zwijgende liefde (1860) and Uit het studentenleven en andere gedichten (1868). In 1903, after his death, his political essays and poems were published in Klauwaard en Geus.