In more modern times, heritage culture has tended to turn more towards the lives and contributions of common people, so it’s not surprising that this year’s Erfgoeddag, or Heritage Day, on 22 April has a wide range of events planned that place ordinary people at centre-stage. And while this year’s theme is “Heroes”, there’s no shortage of examples.
The town of Duffel in Antwerp province derives its name from the Celtic word for water, and for Heritage Day it's shining the spotlight on its fire brigade. Set up in the 1870s, the brigade consists of two professionals and 52 volunteers, a balance that has remained constant since the beginning, when the town was unable to find the manpower for a full-time force.
There are more volunteer fire brigades in Flanders than you might think: from almost wholly volunteer corps in places like Dendermonde or Deinze to professional corps aided by volunteers like in Aalst, Kortrijk and Ostend.
Nevertheless, the Duffel force is good enough to include a team that specialises in dealing with hazardous substances, which often sees them called for incidents outside their area. To mark Heritage Day, they’ve organised a tour that includes a photo exhibition and a demonstration of smoke detectors. The description refers to them as “everyday heroes”, and there can’t be much doubt about the accuracy of that.
www.brandweerduffel.be
Also in the municipal museum in Duffel is an exhibition on heroes of health care, featuring the nursing sisters of Duffel convent and Jeanne Hellemans from nearby Mechelen, who helped set up the St Elizabeth clinic. Hellemans also nursed troops from the front at the military hospital in Calais in the First World War, before going on to head many nursing professional bodies and to be elected to Mechelen’s city council.
Everyday heroes of a different sort were the draft horses of Brabant, who are being feted in the museum dedicated to the breed in Galmaarden-Vollezele, Flemish Brabant. At one time, of course, draft horses were the equivalent of farm machinery, used for ploughing and transport. In the 19th century, pioneers like Remi Vanderschueren started a programme of selective breeding of three breeds of draft horse, leading to the creation of the Brabant, which became an international benchmark of quality.
Not only did its success make the name of Brabant recognisable worldwide – at one point in the early 20th century these horses were Belgium’s number one export – it also made Vollezele into a household name in horse circles. Fittingly, in front of the museum in what used to be the town hall, stands a huge statue of Brilliant, one of the most celebrated of the race.
www.museumvanhetbelgischtrekpaard.be
www.erfgoeddag.be
Every province of Flanders – and Brussels, too – offers a range of attractions on Heritage Day. There’s a complete programme on the website, as well as brochures for specific local areas. Everything is free, but some guided tours require reservations. Here’s a tiny sample of what’s on offer.
Antwerp: Workshops for children aged six to eight in the Photo Museum in Antwerp on the subject of heroes. Reservation required. The museum is also hosting exhibitions and a guided tour for adults. www.fomu.be
Brussels: Heroes of a military sort in the Army Museum at Jubelpark, with a list of 12 names from which you choose a winner. There’s also a scavenger hunt for children on the theme of superheroes. www.klm-mra.be
East Flanders: Reynaert the Fox is the hero of a mediaeval heroic epic, and he’ll be brought to life in Deinze with a scavenger hunt through the town, animated by characters from the story, including talking animals. To close the day, there’s a concert in the main square. www.deinze.be
Flemish Brabant: The facade of the city hall in Leuven is decorated with the representations of some 200 local heroes. The city chose five to highlight on Heritage Day, with local people choosing another five. Included is Father Damien, once voted the greatest Belgian of all time. In other locations, the city salutes heroes of science, religion and academia, as well as the unsung heroes from the ranks of the ordinary Leuvenaars. www.erfgoedcelleuven.be
Limburg: For such a small country,
Belgium has a large footprint in
space. As well as two astronauts,
Dirk Frimout and Frank De Winne,
it was University of Leuven priest
and researcher Georges Lemaitre
who first proposed the Big Bang
theory. The Cosmodrome in
Genk will celebrate local and
international heroes of space
exploration with an exhibition,
a guided tour and planetarium
shows. www.cosmodrome.be
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