“We have come a long way since then,” says Benny Buntinx, coordinator of Flanders' Open Monument Day, “but the challenge now is to create a civil society organisation that encourages citizens to care for their cultural heritage from an early age.”

On 11 September, nearly 400 buildings across Flanders will open their doors for free to reveal their histories and secrets. Curious visitors can choose between different types of monuments, archaeological sites and landscapes. There will be boat trips, bicycle tours, exhibitions, guided walking tours and more.

Fans of military sites will be spoiled this year, conflict being the theme of this 23rd edition of Open Monument Day. Belgium is known as the battlefield of Europe, and with good reason. Mediaeval forts, castles and reinforced farmhouses are strewn around the country. The two World Wars have left their scars on land and in cities with anti-tank channels, bunker lines and bomb shelters.

Many of these sites are relatively unknown. “People will be surprised when they see the Koningshooikt Waver line in Flemish Brabant,” says Buntinx. This is a line of bunkers that runs through five different villages, put up in defence against the German army during the Second World War. In one of these villages, Haacht, visitors can stroll along a channel of several kilometres long, dug out to prevent the advance of German tanks.

In Ursel, East-Flanders, the only way to get into a bomb shelter under the village square is to climb down a tight manhole hidden under an inconspicuous cover. “People walk over the cover every day without knowing that there is a bomb shelter from the Second World War beneath their feet,” smiles Buntinx.

Conflicts in different shapes

Not all conflicts are met with guns, bombs and tanks. Sometimes a certain style of architecture can also be a means of warfare. The ideological and social conflicts in Flanders of the 19th and early 20th centuries have left behind a rich patrimony, such as statues to honour certain heroes or buildings that reflect a certain identity. During the Flemish school struggle, for example, Catholic organisations built their schools in the Neo-Gothic style, while public schools opted for Art Nouveau and later modernism.

Sometimes monuments themselves are the subjects of struggle. They may be threatened with demolition – like the Belfort of Kortrijk – or, more common recently, need renovation and incite discussion about what should happen with them. “As a cultural heritage organisation, we often have conflicts with interest groups, like nature organisations, for example,” explains Buntinx. “Then we have to make compromises. The gallery of the former hippodrome in Sterrebeek, for example, will be torn down to make space for green landscape. Only the royal box will be kept as a monument.”

Finding a new function for an old building can take a long time, especially as you have to adapt it to modern times without destroying its historic character. “Buildings these days have to be far more energy efficient than before, and old constructions are not equipped for that,” says Buntinx. That is partly why the old sanatorium of Tombeek in Flemish Brabant was in decline for many years, despite its protected status. “Now it will become the location for social housing, even though it is a challenge to supply it with sustainable energy.”

Our history’s future

Notwithstanding all the conflicts and problems, Buntinx feels that the care for cultural heritage has firmly established itself in society. “Making people aware of the importance of cultural heritage is still our main goal,” he says, “even though we feel that we’ve already achieved that for a great part. Half a million people visit Open Monument Day every year, and many volunteers make the event possible. It proves that heritage care has come to a mature age.”

Together with other Flemish organisations for heritage care, Buntinx and his colleagues are preparing to merge into one big civil society organisation. “That way, we can reach out more to local societies, he explains. “We’re hoping to make people realise that it’s everybody’s responsibility to care for our heritage. Our duty as a central portal would be to guide the enthusiasm that already exists. With our help, local organisations would be able to raise funds for the protection of a local monument, for example, without looking to the government for help. Moreover, we’d like to stimulate the cooperation between them.”

To get the Flemish more actively involved, Buntinx believes that there should be a separate focus on young people. “The better we educate our youngsters,” he says, “the better they’ll care for our heritage.” That is why he created a competition, called Un(der)cover, for would-be journalists to pen their impressions during Open Monument Day. Photographers can send pictures of a heritage site in a separate competition called Jefmonument. Buntinx: “We may even have to organise a separate event for youngsters in the future.

Open Monument Day Flanders: Conflict

11 September
Across Flanders
www.openmonumenten.be

Open Monument Day Brussels:

Restoration and Conservation

17-18 September
Across Brussels
www.monument.irisnet.be