“Is it the same as Open Monument Day?”
Not exactly. Open Monument Day concentrates on architecture and our immovable heritage. Heritage Day is much broader, covering movable objects such as furniture, paintings, clothes, books, even food and drink, as well as our intangible heritage, like folklore, traditional skills and even dialects.
“So what’s the point of Heritage Day?”
It’s one of the most important heritage events in Flanders and Brussels because it puts cultural heritage in the spotlight and encourages us all to interact with it in a contemporary, qualitative and meaningful way. The objective is that each one of us discovers cultural heritage as something valuable and relevant. In addition, Heritage Day stimulates reflection on topics such as heritage education, improving accessibility to the public and sustainability.
“Who’s behind it?”
It’s an initiative of FARO, the Flemish interface centre for cultural heritage, but it’s made possible by hundreds of museums, churches, libraries, societies dedicated to folk culture, clubs, youth organisations, universities and schools. Every year this results in a fantastic, rich and diverse selection of activities.
“Personally, I don’t see the point of examining the past”
Our historic heritage helps connect us to our roots. It tells us about past society, how our ancestors lived and interacted with each other and gives us a long-term view of social and environmental change through the ages. This helps us understand the present and plan for the future.
“Doesn’t it cost a lot of money to preserve all this heritage?”
Considerable physical, natural and intellectual resources have been invested in our historic heritage. It’s wise to make the most of these resources, rather than destroying them or allowing them to decay and incur extra cultural, environmental, social and economic costs.
“Wouldn’t the money be better spent on creating jobs?”
Our heritage contributes significantly to economic prosperity. It generates value by attracting investment. The economic benefits of tourism are also closely linked to the historic environment. For example, the heritage sites of Flanders attract vast numbers of tourists from all over the world, who make an important contribution to the Flemish economy, often through direct employment. Heritage projects can also generate employment and play an important role in maintaining traditional skills that can then be put to use in the marketplace.
“To be honest, I’m more interested in preserving the natural environment”
Investigating our heritage can contribute significantly to our understanding of environmental change and the impact that our activities have had on natural resources. Such knowledge can help individuals and governments take better decisions on how to manage the natural environment in the future. In addition, historic sites such as castles frequently provide locally important habitats for flora and fauna.
“What’s the theme this year?”
It’s Heritage Day: FAKE?, which provokes us to consider what is authentic and what is not. How do we detect a forgery? Is a perfect imitation of a painting also a worthy piece of art? When is fake marble permissible? What about trompe l'oeil murals? Or the digital manipulation of images? Heritage Day: FAKE? will attempt to address these and many more issues in practical ways.
“Such as…?”
In the Antwerp Diamond Museum you can bring your own diamonds along to see if they are genuine or fake. In Tongeren you can learn how to distinguish a genuine antique from a replica, while in the Ghent Design Museum you can discover how forgeries are big business in the fashion world. In Bruges you can find out how mediaeval the city actually is and which famous legends are not quite what they seem. Over 600 separate events are planned, and over 200,000 visitors are expected to attend.
“200,000! I don’t want to spend the whole day in traffic!”
Take advantage of De Lijn’s special bus ticket. For €2.50 you can travel anywhere by bus or tram on Heritage Day, directly to over 400 locations. Reduced ticket prices are also possible on the Brussels metro and the Belgian railways.
“My kids won’t want to walk around stuffy buildings”
Then you should select one of the many child-friendly activities. These include treasure hunts, games, cooking sessions, medieval arts and crafts, drama and jugglers.
“Hmm, well…how much does it cost?”
All of the 600+ activities of Heritage Day are free.
Heritage Day: FAKE?
25 April, 10.00-18.00
Across Flanders and Brussels
www.erfgoeddag.be
The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage in Brussels presents its research on two paintings by master art forger-restorer Jef Van der Veken: “Just Judges”, the famous stolen panel from the brothers Van Eyck’s “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” (copy pictured), and the Mary Magdalene from the Renders collection, after Rogier Van der Weyden.
A visit to the painting restoration workshop, the scientific imagery service (with infrared and X-ray apparatus) and the paint analysis laboratory offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of art forgery and its unmasking. This intriguing story of hyper-restoration, false craquelures and hidden inscriptions reveals the darkest, most hidden facets of one of the masters of imitation of Flemish Primitives.
This year Heritage Day is working closely with Flemish company RouteYou, which specialises in creating route networks for maps and GPS navigation systems for tourists, hikers and cyclists. RouteYou has created some 20 cycling and walking routes throughout Flanders that take in various Heritage Day sites and activities. You can print the route or download it to your GPS.
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