Willemsfonds
Encyclopedia
Jan Frans Willems
Jan Frans Willems , Flemish writer and father of the Flemish movement.Willems was born in the Belgian city of Boechout, while that was under French occupation. He started his career in the office of a notary in Antwerp....
, is a non-profit cultural organization founded in the 19th century to promote Flemish culture and language in Belgium
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...
. In order to achieve this goal, the organization encouraged Flemish folk song, organized linguistic games and published inexpensive Flemish books. In addition the organization established general libraries.
Nowadays the Willemsfonds is still a volunteer organization and a meeting place for cultural activities. It seeks to promote a dialogue between people in order to allow them to form their own opinion. The Willemsfonds is of liberal inspiration which distinguishes it from the socialist Vermeylenfonds
Vermeylenfonds
The Vermeylenfonds is a non-profit Flemish cultural socialist organization. The Vermeylenfonds was founded in 1945, in Brussels with the aim of studying and of continuing the work of August Vermeylen...
and the Catholic Davidsfonds
Davidsfonds
The Davidsfonds is a Catholic organisation in Flanders, Belgium with the purpose of promoting the Flemish culture in the areas of literature, history and art....
.
History
The Willemsfonds was founded on 23 February 1851, for the promotion and support of the Dutch languageDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
in 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...
(north of Belgium
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...
). It was founded by 31 people from Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and 7 from Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and since 1868 its headquarter is located in the Lakenmetershuis at the Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
.
In its early days, both Roman Catholics and liberals worked together within the organization, even Jean-Baptist David
Jean-Baptist David
Jean-Baptist David was a canon and professor Dutch and history at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.Jean-Baptist David was born in the Belgian city of Lier...
was a member of the Willemsfonds. When in 1870 the Roman Catholic Church opposed the non-denominational status of public education, the Willemsfonds sided with the liberals and the Roman Catholics, such as Jean-Baptist David left the organization and they founded the Davidsfonds
Davidsfonds
The Davidsfonds is a Catholic organisation in Flanders, Belgium with the purpose of promoting the Flemish culture in the areas of literature, history and art....
in 1875.
Until 1976, the presidents of the Willemsfonds would come from Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, such as its first president Jules de Saint-Genois
Jules de Saint-Genois
Jules, Baron de Saint-Genois was a Belgian liberal politician, historian, librarian and professor at the University of Ghent...
(1813–1867), Ferdinand Snellaert, Prudens van Duyse
Prudens van Duyse
Prudentius van Duyse or Prudens van Duyse was a Flemish writer. He started his career a clerk of a notary, but afterwards studied law at the University of Ghent, where he graduated in 1832. In 1836, he became the archivist of the city of Ghent...
, Frans Rens
Frans Rens
Frans Rens was a Flemish writer.From 1823 up to 1843, he was an inspector of gold and silver work at Ghent, and head of lower education for the school area Lokeren.-Source:...
, Jacob Jan Heremans, and Julius Vuylsteke
Julius Vuylsteke
Julius Vuylsteke was a Belgian liberal politician and writer. He started his career as a lawyer, but later opened a bookshop. As a liberal Flemish politician, he founded the liberal association 't zal wel gaan, and he played an important role in the Flemish movement...
, to name a few.
Over the years it published the work of several Flemish authors, such as Jan Frans Willems
Jan Frans Willems
Jan Frans Willems , Flemish writer and father of the Flemish movement.Willems was born in the Belgian city of Boechout, while that was under French occupation. He started his career in the office of a notary in Antwerp....
Reinaert de Vos and Julius de Geyter
Julius de Geyter
Julius De Geyter was a Flemish writer. He started his career as a teacher and journalist. In 1874, he became director of the Bank van Lening in Antwerp. Together with J.F.J. Heremans and E. Zetternam he founded the literary illustrated magazine "De Vlaamsche School" , which existed from 1855 until...
, Johanna Courtmans-Berchmans
Joanna Courtmans
Joanna Courtmans, born Joanna-Desideria Berchmans was a Flemish writer.Her father was mayor of Oudegem, and she spent her first years at the local village school, after which she, at the age of nine, was sent to a boarding school in Wallonia...
, Tony Bergmann
Anton Bergmann
Anton Bergmann was a Belgian writer and a liberal Flemish activist. Already during his youth he was fond of Dutch literature, and together with Julius Vuylsteke, he was a member of 't zal wel gaan, a Flemish cultural and liberal organization...
, Cyriel Buysse
Cyriel Buysse
Cyrillus Gustave Emile "Cyriel", Baron Buysse was a Flemish naturalist author and playwright. He also wrote under following pseudonyms: Louis Bonheyden, Prosper Van Hove and Robert Palmer.-Biography:...
, Virginie Loveling
Virginie Loveling
Virginie Loveling was a Flemish author of poetry, novels, essays and children's stories. She also wrote under the pseudonym W.E.C Walter.- Biography :...
, Maurits Sabbe
Maurits Sabbe
Maurits Karel Maria Willem Sabbe was a Flemish writer. He was a son of Julius Sabbe and the eldest of seven children. He married Gabriëlla De Smet.-Career:...
, Paul Kenis
Paul Kenis
Paul Kenis was a Flemish writer.-Education:He attended high school in Turnhout and in Ghent and studied Germanic languages at the University of Ghent.-Career:...
, Karel Jonckheere
Karel Jonckheere
Karel Jonckheere was a Flemish writer. Karel Jonckheere was also a world traveler, he visited Cuba, Mexico, the United States, Congo, South Africa, India, Romania, the Balkans and many West-European countries...
, Marcel van Maele
Marcel van Maele
Marcel van Maele was a Belgian playwright and sculptor. He was one of the leading figures of the magazine Labris , in which an experimental style was prominent. He was a member of the Zestigers . Van Maele was completely blind for the last 20 years of his life...
, Willem Roggeman
Willem Roggeman
-Honors:The international prize for poetry Premio Tratti 2007 is awarded to Willem Roggeman for his poems Blue Notebook, .-Bibliography:* Een hinderwoning * Rhapsody in blue...
, and Clem Schouwenaars
Clem Schouwenaars
Clem Schouwenaars was a Belgian writer. He grew up in a Roman catholic family. His youth was not a happy one. Two of his brothers an one of his sisters died young, and his only remaining sister was killed during a bombardment in 1943...
.
See also
- Liberaal Vlaams VerbondLiberaal Vlaams VerbondThe Liberaal Vlaams Verbond was founded in 1913. From its origin it wanted to promote the Flemish cause and drew attention to social matters, within the Belgian Liberal Party...
- MasereelfondsMasereelfondsThe Masereelfonds, named after Frans Masereel, is a Flemish non-profit cultural organization, for the promotion and support of the Dutch language in Flanders . It is one of a family of five cultural organizations in Flanders, such as the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds, Willemsfonds, and the...
- RodenbachfondsRodenbachfondsThe Rodenbachfonds, named after Albrecht Rodenbach, is a Flemish non-profit cultural organization, for the promotion and support of the Dutch language in Flanders . It is one of a family of five cultural organizations in Flanders, such as the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds, Willemsfonds, and...
- Flemish literatureFlemish literatureFlemish literature is literature from Flanders, historically a region comprising parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Until the early 19th century, this literature was regarded as an integral part of Dutch literature...
- Liberal ArchiveLiberal Archive (Belgium)The Liberal Archive , located in Ghent, is the central archive of the Belgian liberal organizations, such as the liberal party , the Willemsfonds, the Liberaal Vlaams Verbond and the liberal young guards/Pvv-Jongeren.The Liberal Archive was founded in Ghent in 1982 and was recognised by the Flemish...