Integrating the Industrial Landscape through the...

The Rupel Case (BE)

© Bruno De Corte

Integrating the Industrial Landscape through the Regional Narrative

The Heritage of Industry & Labour and the Landscape in the Rupel area (Belgium)

Bruno DE CORTE Co-founder Ecomuseum van de Boomse Baksteen

(EMABB)

ICOM Milano 2016

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Rupel Area:

• located next to the Rupel River

• surface of approx. 46.000 km2

• five communities: Boom, Hemiksem, Niel, Rumst

and Schelle

• global population : >58.000 inhabitants.

STeRK

Location of the Rupel Area

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Boom Cuesta

The Rupel Case (BE)

A Landscape transformed by Brickworks .

The Rupel Case (BE)

Industrial History: Glory & Decline • Roman times: digging of the “Boom Clay”

• Middle Ages: first permanent brick kilns (1358)

• 19th-20th century: complete industrialization, but mostly

small enterprises

• Decline from 1957 on & Oil Crisis of 1973-74

• Number of brickworks: from postwar 42 down to 1 • Economical, social & ecological problems: in 1966 large

scale landfilling (=waste dumping) started

The Rupel Case (BE)

River Transport by Stone Barges (Clotilde, 1910)

The Rupel Case (BE)

Hard Labour A Family Affair

The Rupel Case (BE)

Other Rupel Industries related to Clay:

Ceramics & Glass

Gilliot & Roelants Tile Museum, Hemiksem

(Tile panel 170x90cm designed by Roelants and made by Gilliot as

decorative element for the Brussels World Exhibition 1935)

STeRK

After the Oil Crisis: a vast Industrial Heritage (1975)

The Rupel Case (BE)

STeRK

• Social problems: unemployment & bad housing

• Negative image of the region

• Abandoned places

• Many scars in the landscape

• Pollution

But:

• Derelict clay pits, if not polluted, enter automaticlly in a proces of renaturation and become precious nature reserves

A typical Depressed Area

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Rupel Case (BE)

Time takes its toll (1995)

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Rebound • 1970’s: ecological grassroots movement

• 1981: Governmental Ecological Agency (OVAM)

• 1983: Moratorium on Waste Dumps

• 2000- : economical regeneration (housing prizes 3x)

The Rupel Case (BE)

a Civil Society

The Rupel Case (BE)

Grassroots: 5 Local Museums

(P = Private; M = Municipality, V = Volunteers)

• Rumst: Rupelklei (1974, M & V & P) + ‘t Geleeg (1984, P & V)

• Boom/Noeveren: Ecomuseum EMABB (1984, V) + ‘t Geleeg/

Frateur site (1984, P & V)

• Niel: NEA (V)

• Hemiksem (& Schelle): Gilliot & Roelants Tile Museum (M & V)

5 Local Museums:

Key Players in the Regional Narrative

1974: Rupelklei (photo)

1984: Ecomuseum EMABB

etc.

The Rupel Case (BE)

Restoration by Volunteers Noeveren - Frateur Brickworks (situation 1995)

The Rupel Case (BE)

Government Policy PA = Province of Antwerp, FG = Government of Flanders

• 1975: Status of Depressed Area (PA)

• 1975-1983: Tabula Rasa & Landfills • 1984 OVAM (FG)

• 1986: First Protection of Industrial Monuments (FG) • 1986: Clay Pit reused for recreation (PA) • 2002: Cooperation agreement between the 5 Municipalities (PA) • 2011: ELAH interpretation Center (PA) • 2014: Charitable Trust Rupel & Klei (PA) to stimulate cooperation between

the different museums

The Rupel Case (BE)

EU Funding of the Rupel Area

1. MaxiGreen: improve, renovate and reinvigorate •Is a group of European authorities and organisations who are working together to improve a collection of green spaces and heritage areas that have been neglected over the years. •2.800.000 € over 6 projects, Rupel Area receives 506.439 € . •The funding has been used to develop a Strategic Plan.

2. Heroes of the Two Seas & Heroes to see: vocational training • in total almost 5.000.000 €, Rupel Area receives 315.000 €.

3. European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) •ERIH is the tourism information network of industrial heritage in Europe, one

museum (EMABB) is part of this network . •There is no direct funding of local museums by the EU

The Rupel Case (BE)

Government (PA): an “Holistic Approach”

2010 First Strategic Plan – 4 Pillars:

1. Mobility 2. Experiencing the Area 3. Economy 4. Nature & Landscape

« Strengthening the identity of the region

through the regional narrative »

The Rupel Case (BE)

Nature Regeneration & Sustainable Tourism

The Rupel Case (BE)

Soft Tourism: Bicycle Trails 400.000 Tourists a Year

Adaptive Reuse of a Landfill Claypit

Recreational Area “De Schorre”

(Boom)

also used for the

World famous

Dance Festival Tomorrowland

The Rupel Case (BE)

Competition with the Leisure Industry?

The Power of Numbers (or, the Matthew Effect)

•Festival Tomorrowland 2016: 180.000 visitors (XXL TMW Festival 2014: 360.000 visitors)

•All clay related Museums together: 8.000 visitors

The Rupel Case (BE)

Noeveren (Boom): a unique Cityscape with Protected Status

The Rupel Case (BE)

The Noeveren Paradox: a Cityscape unique in Europe, but

• Ownership of the property is quite complex • Some monuments are in a really bad shape • 2 existing museums who work separately • No funding available for professional staff • Volunteers are aging

A Developers View (Residential Project

“De Waterkant”, Rumst)

• With the general renaturation of the area, especially the borders of the Rupel river are attractive for investors

• Former brickworks chimney is kept as historical Landmark

Conclusions:

1. The Rupel case is a successful transformation of a depressed area

2. Heritage and nature created a renewed identity

3. We need more volunteers to keep up the work

4. We need more ecological history

5. We need more multimedia in the museums

6. We need more Oral History projects

7. Storytelling is fine, but do not forget the hard stuff

8. Urgent investments in museums and buildings are needed

9. Inventarisation of objects and landscape elements is not complete

10. Topdown & Grassroots need close cooperation

Thanks!

For advice, inspiration & photo credits

To Sabine Denissen, Ann Boen, Eddy Stuer (New Belgica social

project), Paul De Niel, Edmond Lambrechts, Frederik Van Bockland , Dirk Campsteyn, Luc Verbeeck, Pierre Van Hautte, Jan De Ben, Regi Serluppens, Alex Ramael, Marc Verlinden, Mario Baeck, Heritage Society “Ter Boome”, Prof.em. Noël Vandenberghe (KU Leuven), Rik Rötger, Tina Van Leuven, Hilde Lambrechts, Hanne Witters, Tomorrowland, Provincie Antwerpen, Toerisme Rupelstreek, Project De Waterkant

& many others

The Rupel Case (BE)

© Bruno De Corte

Contact:

brunoxdecorte@gmail.com

ICOM/CIMUSET Milano 2016