PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 27 February 2014
First World War Centenary: the Region will be supporting 130 projects!
Last October, the Brussels Government launched a call for projects to commemorate the centenary
of the First World War. In view of the success and enthusiasm surrounding these commemorations,
there are a total of 130 projects which will benefit from the Region’s support for a total amount of
€ 2.5 million.
170 application dossiers were received from project holders from all backgrounds, municipalities,
museums, archive centres, libraries, cultural centres…
“Overall, the projects were of a high quality and in the majority of cases conformed to the values set
out by the Region, such as education of the very youngest members of society, the evocation of the
social evolution which ensued from the conflict, the conveyance of positive values and the duty of
memory”, said Rudi Vervoort.
It was above all these values that were prioritised in the analysis of the numerous dossiers submitted.
The Brussels municipalities also made a large contribution, with more than half submitting a dossier.
As a result, the Region will be supporting nearly 130 projects, both small and large, modest or largescale. Take, for example, the exhibition “14-18 it’s our history” which opened yesterday at the Royal
Museum of the Armed Forces. This exhibition is addressed to a very large audience, including both
children as well as the real enthusiasts among us who will certainly appreciate this immersion in the
history of the Great War.
Jean-Luc Vanraes, president of the Brussels Region 14-18 steering committee: “I grew up in Ypres and
the ‘Great War’ was an important part of my education. The commemoration is doubly important to
me. Firstly, the war brought about an important change in our modern society’s notion of freedom,
emancipation and democracy. Secondly, it is the ideal moment to remind primarily the younger
generation of the fragility of democracy. We must defend our democratic values amongst young
people. The commemoration of the First World War represents a unique and ideal occasion to do so.”
This general enthusiasm will allow us to substantially expand the programme of commemorative
activities in Brussels and it is indeed the fervent aim of the regional government for as many actors
from the cultural and tourism sectors as possible to be involved in commemorating this key event in
our history.
The list of projects which will benefit from a subsidy is as follows:
Archives d'Architecture Moderne, Arkadia, Woluwé Saint-Lambert public library, Schaerbeek
municipal libraries, Bon VZW, BOZAR, Bravo Discovery, Brukselbinnenstebuiten, Brussels BrechtEislerkoor vzw, Brussels Studies Institute, Brussels-Museums-Exhibitions, CEGESOMA, Cultural Centre
Brussels North - Maison de la Création, Centre Culturel Forest – BRASS, Archive and Research Centre
for Women’s History (AVG - CARHIF), Centre de Gastronomie Historique, Centre of Youth Literature of
Brussels (Institution of the City of Brussels- Department of public education/public reading), Brussels
Capital History Circle, Cinematek, Municipality of Auderghem, Municipality of Jette, Municipality of
Saint Gilles, Municipality of Schaerbeek, Municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort, Municipality of Woluwé
Saint-Pierre – Heritage and Cultural Service, Municipality of Etterbeek, Municipality of Ixelles,
Municipality of Uccle, Confédération Parascolaire, De Vrienden van Brosella, Schaarbeek Dutch
Language Service, E-Guides, Etterbeek – Hergé Municipal Library, Expozao, Festival of Flanders,
Flagey, GC DE ZEYP, Itinéraires, Kaaitheater, KBR, Kidscam, Koekelberg Promotion, Korei, Laeken
Découverte, Les rencontres Saint Gilloises, Ligue Braille, Maison Autrique, National Museum of the
Resistance, Mille Plateaux, Mini-Europe, MoMuse (Molenbeek Museum), Brussels Museum of Mill
and Food (MBMA), Museum of Medicine, Museum of Europe, Jewish Museum of Belgium, Musées
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Palace of Charles V - Classes du Patrimoine et de la
Citoyenneté, Patris (Schaerbeek Heritage), PRO VELO, Promouvoir les Cultures à Molenbeek, Repère,
City of Brussels - Jeugdhuis Chicago, Télé Bruxelles, Tonk Design, ULB – Institute for the Study of
Renaissance and Humanism, Université Saint-Louis Brussels, City of Brussels – Public Education, City
of Brussels – Friends of the Brussels City Museum, City of Brussels -ASBL Jeunesse à Bruxelles, VUB.
To accompany this call for projects, the Region has also put online an educational site
(http://www.2014-18brussels.be ) with a particularly original approach. The history of the Great War
in Brussels is told and illustrated via numerous photographs from the time which serve to evoke
these years of occupation by showing the everyday lives of the inhabitants of Brussels.
Put together in a deliberately accessible narrative style, this site constitutes a moving testimony
which took hundreds of hours of research on the part of the experts from CEGES who were entrusted
with the project.
More info?
The schedule of commemorative events in the Brussels Capital Region is also available on the site
http://www.2014-18brussels.be which will continue to be added to until 2018.
Press contacts:
Martha Meeze: m.meeze@visitbrussels.be - +32 486 53 31 81
Gary Divito: g.divito@visitbrussels.be - +32 476 94 13 53
Leonôr da Silva I Spokesperson
Tel.: +32 2 506 32 32 I Fax: +32 2 514 40 22 I Mobile: +32 486 72 10 94 I Rue Ducale, 9 - 1000 Brussels
Cabinet of Minister-President Rudi Vervoort
Jo De Witte I Spokesperson
Tel.: +32 2 506 32 14 I Fax: +32 2 514 40 22 I Mobile: +32 478 45 22 86 I Hertogstraat 9 - 1000
Brussels
Cabinet of Minister-President Rudi Vervoort
Bert Cornelis
Spokesperson for Jean-Luc Vanraes
Mobile: 0474 94 95 90