Flemish government awards quality label to museums, archives and library
Flemish minister of culture Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) has officially recognised three museums, two archives and a heritage library in Flanders. These are the Lier Archives, the KU Leuven University Archives, the Heritage Library Arts & Music Library, Liberation Garden, the HEY Museum and Kazerne Dossin, the minister announced in a press release on Monday.
The recognition, in the form of a quality label, is intended to strengthen the care and management of cultural heritage in Flanders, while also raising the profile of the institutions involved.
"In this way, they ensure that our cultural heritage is accessible to a wide audience and that it can be passed on to future generations," said the minister.
The Lier Archives manages not only an extensive collection of works by local writer Felix Timmermans but also a masterpiece recognised by the Flemish government: the design drawings for the carillon drum of St Gummarus Church. The KU Leuven University Archives likewise houses a prized collection, including letters to architect Huib Hoste on the reconstruction of Ypres Cloth Hall.
The Heritage Library Arts & Music Library, part of the KASK University of Applied Sciences & Conservatory in Ghent, holds significant collections in art, architecture, design and music.
Liberation Garden © BELGA VIDEO MARC DIRIX
Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen offers an in-depth look at Belgium’s Holocaust history, telling stories of exclusion, discrimination and mass violence, as well as hope and resistance. Liberation Garden in Leopoldsburg, a young museum opened in 2023, focuses on Belgian war history, exploring the harsh Nazi occupation and the country’s long-awaited liberation.
The HEY Museum in Knokke-Heist immerses visitors in the resort’s heritage of fishing, casinos and tourism.
In total, 103 cultural heritage organisations in Flanders and Brussels now carry the quality label "museum, heritage library or cultural archive institution recognised by the Flemish government." This includes 22 cultural archive institutions, 10 heritage libraries and 71 museums.
#FlandersNewsService | Hendrik Conscience library in Antwerp © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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