Starting this month, archives regarding monumental heritage care can be consulted at the National Archive. These are archives that the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) has transferred to the National Archive in accordance with the Archives Act. The archives concern built heritage formed by predecessors of the RCE. In the more than 70 linear meters, the trail can be traced back to the start and development of monument care in the Netherlands.
Organized, Archived, and Accessible
The archive has been fully inventoried and opened under Access Number 2.14.140 and is named the Archive of the domain built heritage of the Cultural Heritage Agency and predecessor tasks (1865) 1903-2013. With the extensive inventory and access numbers, the archives have become well searchable.
It includes the archives of:
- National Commission for Monument Description (1903 - 1918)
- National Commission for Monument Care (1918 - 1947)
- National Bureau for Monument Care (1918 - 1947)
- Inspection of Art Protection (1939 - October 1, 1946)
- Rijkswaterstaat, Geometry service and Monument Care service
- Provisional Commission for Monument Care (1944 - 1946)
- Provisional Monument Council (1946)
- Cultural Heritage Agency for Monument Care (RDMZ, 1947 - 2007)
Care for Monuments
Those who review the inventory will see how the care for monuments has been part of Dutch government policy for more than 120 years. This began in 1903 with the formal establishment of the National Commission for Monument Description. This commission was tasked with creating scientifically responsible descriptions of the most important historical buildings in the Netherlands and publishing them. This became The Illustrated Description of the Dutch Monuments of History and Art
. The commission hoped to raise awareness for built heritage at a time when many buildings were being demolished. In 1918, the commission and tasks were expanded. In addition to describing the monuments, advice and guidance on restorations were added. The name became National Bureau for Monument Care.
Safety in Preparation
Also noteworthy are the archives of the Inspection of Art Protection (1939 – 1946), which, under the leadership of Jan Kalf, focused on the protection of artworks against war danger. Rescue actions for art during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 motivated him to prepare measures for the Netherlands. In 1939, he presented plans for the Security and Fire Safety of Museums, Libraries, Archives, Churches, and One Hundred Monuments and the Arrangement of Bomb-Proof Storage Places
. Immediately after the war began, the Reconstruction Decision I was issued on May 21, 1940.
Accessible at the National Archive
The public accessibility of archives is a process of years. For this archive transfer, all partial archives were first reviewed and prepared at the RCE before they went to the National Organization for Information Management (RvIHH). Here they were described in detail and further organized, resulting in an extensive inventory. The material care of the archives and the preparation for transport to the National Archive were also in the hands of the RvIHH. From now on, archives are accessible at the National Archive. The inventory and access numbers of the Archive of the domain built heritage of the Cultural Heritage Agency and predecessor tasks can now be searched online.