German negatives capture Flemish Brabant heritage

A hundred years ago, a group of around thirty German art historians, photographers and architects toured Belgium to carry out a unique project. Between the summer of 1917 and the autumn of 1918, they photographed over 10,000 images of Belgian churches, beguinages, castles, civilian homes, memorials, works of art and interiors – all preserved on glass plates. The Belgian government managed to buy the entire collection of plate negatives in 1927, and The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK) has been responsible for curating this collection since 1948.

Our Haacht and Halle exhibitions give you a foretaste of these singular Flemish Brabant memories – captured using early photographic techniques.

Experience Centre '14-'18, Tildonk (Haacht)

An open-air exhibition in the garden of the former Ursuline convent in Tildonk (Haacht).

The details

  • When: the exhibition can be visited whenever the garden is open, every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Where: the Engelenburcht convent garden - Kruineikestraat 5 - 3150 Tildonk (Haacht)
  • Admission price: free

Combine your trip with a visit to the Experience Centre '14-'18 in the Engelenburcht in Tildonk, where you can find all about what life was like here during the Great War. You can find out more here.

Accessibility

  • By bike: bicycle parking is available at the entrance to the convent garden (Kruineikestraat side).
    There is another bike route that starts out from the Leuvense Vaart. Follow the ‘Experience Centre '14-'18’ arrow to get to the convent garden.
  • By bus: the centre has its own stop on (www.delijn.be).
  • By train: Stations Wespelaar-Tildonk and Hambos, both two km away. (www.belgianrail.be)
  • By car: free parking on Kouterstraat, opposite the Sint-Angela school.