Series
history
history
Ian Mundell
5 min reading time
When Flemish Rabbits Fed the Poor of London
In the 19th century, rabbits from Flanders became a popular source of cheap meat for the poor of London. They came by boat, so they called them 'Ostend Rabbits'.
history
Tom Christiaens
2 min reading time
The Top 5 History Stories of the Year
Our best history stories of 2021, handpicked by the editor.
Series
Going for Gold
history
Hans Cools
6 min reading time
New Biography Sketches Portrait of ‘Maverick’ Erasmus as a Tragic Optimist
Erasmus was a man with great ambitions and who took orders from no one. But his succes also had its drawbacks, unveils a new biography.
history
Republic of Amsterdam Radio
1 min reading time
Ready… Set... Go! Sports From the Low Countries
Discover some of the weird sports that have developed in or been adopted and grown in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Series
History of the Netherlands
history
Lotte Jensen
10 min reading time
How the Struggle Against Water Shaped Dutch Identity
Traumatic feelings about inundations that expose the vulnerability of the Low Countries go hand in hand with a certain pride.
history
Hans Cools
5 min reading time
‘The Burgundians’, a Sparkling History of the Origins of the Low Countries
Since the original Dutch version of this book came out in January 2019 it has dominated the bestseller lists.
Series
Our Colonial Legacy
history
Republic of Amsterdam Radio
9 min reading time
The Unfortunate Fate of Floris V, God of the Peasants
Count Floris V, loved by peasants and urban commoners, left a large legacy in Holland. However, his good deeds could not prevent him from being murdered.
history
Tom Christiaens
8 min reading time
Harvest of the University Press (autumn 2021)
Our selection of recent university press publications from all over the world that deal with the Low Countries.
Series
Migration, the Other Way Around
history
Louwrens Hacquebord
8 min reading time
To Spitsbergen and Back: Four Centuries of Dutch Whaling
Whale oil was a good substitute for vegetable oils and fats, so merchants in the Netherlands saw opportunities to earn good money with whaling. The Dutch hunted whales from 1612 to 1964.
history
Jarrik Van der Biest
4 min reading time
When Students Threw Cannons into the River
Jail time and corporal punishment were just two of the severe punishments meted out to naughty students in the past.
history
Ian Mundell
8 min reading time
Duelling in the Dunes. When Tourists Fought in Flanders
In the 19th century, a very particular kind of tourist came to Flanders: foreigners looking for a quiet place to fight.
history
Albert Meijer
7 min reading time
A Monument Against Fake News: The Planetarium of Eise Eisinga
The oldest working planetarium in the world can be found in Franeker in the Dutch province of Friesland: the Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium.
history
Lotte Jensen
3 min reading time
Nature Doesn’t Cause Disasters, People Do
Cultural historian Lotte Jensen recounts how she has seen the consequences of climate change with her own eyes.
history
Lode Delputte
11 min reading time
Looted Art Must Return to Congo, but How?
Which objects are we talking about exactly? Who claims them? And what should be done with them in the country of origin?
history
Stan Pannier
10 min reading time
The Untold Story of the ‘Belgian’ Slave Trade
In the late eighteenth century, various ships departed from hotspot Ostend to the coasts of Africa to exchange goods for people.
history
Nico Van Campenhout
5 min reading time
From Abbey to Architectural Icon. Two Centuries of the Ghent University Library
The road to success of the iconic Book Tower in Ghent has been all but linear, as historian Ruben Mantels writes in 'Towers of Books'.
history
Republic of Amsterdam Radio
17 min reading time
The Battle of the Golden Spurs Set Flanders Free
In 1302, an unexpected victory of an untrained Flemish infantry militia over a professional force of French cavalry ended the French annexation of the County of Flanders.
history
Ramona Negrón
10 min reading time
Approved by the Bible. The Slave Trade of the Dutch West India Company
An estimated 600,000 enslaved Africans were traded by the Dutch from West Africa to the Atlantic. Almost half of them were shipped by the West India Company.
history
Republic of Amsterdam Radio
1 min reading time
Demonic Goats, the Flying Dutchman and a Hand-Chopping Giant: Legends From the Low Countries
In this podcast, we explore some of the most notorious folk tales and legends from Flanders and the Netherlands.
language
Roland de Bonth
7 min reading time
Privateers Show How the Dutch Used to Write
Thanks to letters captured by English privateers, historical linguists can investigate how ordinary people wrote in the Dutch Republic.
