The Arenberg Archives and Cultural Centre


Arenberg Foundation Activity Reports

Minutes of the 12th May 2007 meeting of the scientific committee of the Arenberg Archives and Cultural Centre (AACC), Enghien/Edingen

Scientific committee:

Present:
Minister of State, Prof. Dr. Mark Eyskens (president)
Prof. Dr. Jan Roegiers
Prof. Jean-Marie Duvosquel
Dr. Claude de Moreau de Gerbehaye
Dr. Peter Neu
H.S.H Prince Leopold d’Arenberg
H.S.H Prince Henry d’Arenberg
Mrs. Lieve Bické, A.C.A npo
M. Guy Lernout, A.C.A npo

Apologies:
H.R.H the Duke de Bragance
Prince de Broglie
Prof. Jim Collins

1. The previous year’s report of 27th May 2006 was approved

2. The annual reports of the activities of Guy Lernout and Lieve Bické, directors of the AA.CC were presented by Mr. Lernout and Mrs. Bické.

3. Prince Leopold d’Arenberg briefly described the financial situation of the AA.CC npo. H.S.H Prince Henry puts the sponsoring to discussion and suggests to organize concerts based on the Arenberg musical archives.

4. Prince de Broglie having resigned from the committee, Prince Leopold proposes the candidacy of Count Olivier de Luppé, Archives privées françaises. The committee accepts the proposal and thanks Count de Luppé for his availability.

5. Hans Baeté, researcher for the Flemish Community, gives a short conference (in English) about ‘ A history of the Meerdael and Heverlee forests’. A book about the two forests, sponsored by the ‘Davidsfonds’(Leuven), will be published end of 2008, beginning of 2009.

6. Books to be published
6.1 Prof. Duvosquel et Dr. Denis Morsa inform the committee about the book ‘ La Maison d’Arenberg dans les anciens Pays-Bas, Belgique romane et Grand-Duché de Luxembourg’. The book is ready ; what is still missing is the iconography. To be published somewhere in spring 2008. Information about the antique vase collection from the Arenberg palace has been discovered and the book will refer to it in one chapter.
6.2 Dr. Marie Cornaz prepares a book about ‘ the House d’Arenberg and music’. She speaks about her project ‘ Vivaldi concerts’, based on her discoveries in the archives.
6.3 Dr. Peter Neu presents his monumental work ‘Die Arenberger Frauen’ (380 pages) to the committee. This book was presented in Kerpen (Eifel) on September 9th, 2006. Dr. Neu is praised by his fellow members.
6.4 Prince Leopold summarizes the advancement of the projects of Jacques Rousseau, Prof. Claude-Isabelle Brelot, Marquis de Trazegnies.

7 Prince Henry explains the philosophy behind the new cultural project ‘Arenberg summer festival’. A prerequisite would be the involvement at an early stage of cities and cultural associations to make it happen.

8 Arenberg Coimbra prize : on May 31st, the first prize will be awarded in Turku (Finland). There were nine candidates for the prize, what can be considered a success. Prince Leopold will attend the first ceremony.

9 The website becomes more and more popular. Improvements and suggestions are welcome.

10 Varia
10.1 The president reads a letter from a project manager of the ‘Musée de l’Europe’ where he states that a cooperation with AA.CC is still considered.
10.2 Prizes ‘duke d’Arenberg’ 2008 and conference : discussion under way
10.3 Dr. Claude de Moreau de Gerbehaye gives some information about the progress made at the Belgian State Archives in regard to the classification of the Arenberg Archive Fund in Brussels (see French or Dutch versions for more details).

Minutes of the 27th May 2006 meeting of the scientific committee of the Arenberg Archives and Cultural Centre, Edingen.


Scientific committee

Present:

Government Minister, Prof. Dr. Mark Eyskens (president)
Prof. Jim Collins, Georgetown University, Washington D.C
Dr. Claude de Moreau of Gerbehaye, AGRB
Prof. Dr. Jan Roegiers, K.U.Leuven
Dr. Wolf-Rüdiger Schleidgen, NRW Staatsarchiv

H.S.H Prince Leopold d’Arenberg
H.S.H Prince Etienne d’Arenberg
Mrs. Lieve Bické, A.C.A npo
M. Guy Lernout, A.C.A npo

Apologies:

H.R.H the Duke de Bragance, Prince de Broglie, Prof. Duvosquel, Dr. Neu

1. The previous year’s report of 28th May 2005 was approved

2. The annual report of the activities of Guy Lernout and Lieve Bické, directors of the A.C.A npo, was presented by Madame Bické (see appendix 1)

3. H.S.H Prince Leopold d’Arenberg briefly described the financial situation of the A.C.A npo. The association’s sponsors are the Studium Arenbergense npo, the town of Enghien and the House d’Arenberg. The 2006 accounts only concern the running costs excluding exceptional expenses such as archive restoration and the publication of works.

4. Dr. Claude de Moreau gave a breakdown of the state of the Arenberg Collection, viewable at the AGRB (State Archives) in Brussels. The inventory was carried out on various occasions (Laloire, Sabbe, Coosemans, Vanrie) and is not coherent. For the moment, everything is described and secured. The administration of the possessions is carried out from Brussels. Three quarters of the Arenberg Archives are held in Belgium while the rest is scattered over several European countries. A discussion took place on the collaboration between European and American universities and the American support being given for the study of private collections which is to carried out by students paid piece-rate. It is still to be decided how this idea is to be implemented. Prince Leopold is to make contact with Prof. Jim Collins, Dr. Claude de Moreau, Prof. Roegiers and Dr. Schleidgen on the subject.

5. Books

5.1 M. Denis Morsa spoke about ‘The House of Arenberg in the Ancient Netherlands, Roman Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’: the first part has been completed and consists of a translation of ‘Arenberg in de lage landen, Holland en Vlaanderen’, completed and updated by M. Morsa. The second part which deals with the history of the possessions is still to be finished. The third part has been completed. The iconography remains. Publication date : 2007

5.2 M. Jacques Rousseau being absent, Prince Leopold d’Arenberg presented the progress on his manuscript ‘The House of the Marck of Arenberg 1390-1592’ the first part of which is expected to be published in 2007.

5.3 Dr. Neu’s ‘Die Arenberger Frauen’, a fine work of 380 pages, will appear in the course of the summer and will be presented at Kerpen (Eifel) at the beginning of September.

5.4 The progress made on the works of professors Mikoletzky and Brelot was briefly mentioned.

6. Dr. Marie Cornaz has carried out a new inventory of the musical archives of the A.C.A npo. This inventory has been published in the Belgian Review of Musicology. She is preparing a presentation for a conference which will take place in Gothenburg and is working on her manuscript ‘Music and the House of Arenberg’. The A.C.A web site makes the details of the inventory available to the public and scores can be ordered directly.

7. A new cultural project, ‘Arenberg zomers’ initiated by Prince Henri d’Arenberg, could be initiated at the chateau of Heverlee. It would be a collaboration between the town of Leuven and the Catholic University of Leuven.

8. A new Arenberg-Coimbra prize will be awarded to a student of the Coimbra group, as part of the Erasmus programme, starting in 2007. The Coimbra group brings together 37 European universities and the prize is the result of a partnership between the A.C.A npo and the Coimbra group. The prize will be awarded every year, in a European country, from 2007. Professor Guido Langouche is the ‘spiritus rector’ of the project, initiated by the government minister Mark Eyskens.

9. Website : www.arenbergcenter.com is adapted according to needs and circumstances. This web site, needing a lot of work, is a way of developing new contacts. All remarks and observations are welcome.

10. Arenberg Prize: the prize-giving ceremony will take place at the Palace of the Academies in Brussels, Wednesday 13th September, 5pm; the President of the European Commission, Dr. José Manuel Barroso, will give a speech on ‘The Future of Europe’. There will also be a small exhibition organised by the AGRB, the K.U.Leuven and the A.C.A npo.




Minutes of the meeting on the 28th of May 2005 of the Scientific and Academic committee of the AACC not for profit association.

Present: Viscount Minister Prof. M. Eyskens (chairman), H.S.H. Prince Leopold d' Arenberg, H.S.H. Prince Henri d'Arenberg, H.S.H. Prince Etienne d'Arenberg, Prof. C.-I. Brelot, Prof. J. Roegiers, Dr. C. de Moreau de Gerbehaye, Prof. J.-M. Duvosquel, Dr. P. Neu, Lieve Bické and Guy Lernout (minutes)

1. The minutes of the previous meeting dated the 8th of May 2004 were approved.

2. The annual report written by Lieve Bické and Guy Lernout, directors of the AACC, was commented by the last mentioned (see appendix 1)
In reaction to the first point, the chairman expressed the wish that the number of graduates could further increase before the presentation of their dissertations and that of doctoral candidates also increase before the presentation of their theses. A discussion followed about the accessibility of the archives. The meeting reached an important decision: before visiting, each candidate must give a precise description of her/his research and the documents to be consulted.

3. H.S.H. Prince Leopold d'Arenberg briefly discussed the AACC's financial situation. The AACC's sponsors are: the Studium Arenbergense, the city Edingen, the Arenberg Stiflung and the Arenberg family. There is still some finance available for a few projects.

4. Books pending

4.1. Prof. Duvosquel and Dr. D. Morsa on the publication of "La Maison d'Arenberg dans les anciens Pays-Bas, Belgique romane et Grand-Duché de Luxembourg". The first part - a translation of chapters from "Arenberg in de Lage Landen" - has been type set and revised by D. Morsa. The first part is thus completely finished. Some contributions to the second part -the history of the crown lands - are still awaited. D. Morsa has filled in a significant lacuna: he has written an important article about "the principality of Ličge". D. Morsa has also proofread all the articles contributed for the second part He will finish his work in autumn 2006.

4.2. Mr. Jacques Rousseau was absent due to illness. He has finished a manuscript of around 80 pages.

4.3. Dr. P. Neu on "Die Arenberger Frauen": There are 27 contributions in total. The final date for the delivery of the manuscripts has been postponed for a year. 11 contributions are still awaited at present. The book will be published next year.

4.4. Prof. C.-I. Brelot on "La Maison d'Arenberg en France": We have not made much progress with this book yet. We know that Bertrand Goujon, a young doctoral candidate, will take care of some important contributions.

4.5. Dr. Marie Cornaz has finished a new inventory of the AACC's music archive (120 pages). This will appear in the 'Revue belge de Musicologie'. At the moment she is preparing a lecture which she will give during the Colloquium in Paris. She also wants to publish a book on this subject. She has spoken to some publishers about it. Will the 'Universitaire Pers Leuven' be the final publisher? The following questions were asked: Would publishing some scores as well be a good idea? (There is a demand for it). Can we get any support from the King Baldwin foundation for this? Finally, will a special committee promote Dr. Marie Cornaz's book?

5. New projects

5.1. Website: www.arenbergcenter.com is finished. Nice website, which will be subject to a few adjustments. Comments are still welcome.

5.2. Museum of Europe: The president contacted Mrs. Spaak. There are two possibilities for the AACC: there could either a gallery or a wall display dedicated to the House of Arenberg. A temporary exhibition is another possibility.

5.3. Edingen Museum: Sadly nothing is moving.

5.4. Duke d'Arenberg -prizes for 2006 will be presented in the Arenberg/Egmont palace in Brussels with a conference , the presentation of Prof. Duvosquel's book and a small exhibition (in cooperation with the National Archives Belgium and the Catholic University of Leuven).

5.5. Arenberg-prize for Europe: The chairman thinks it is a good idea, although there are already a lot of prizes. 25,000 EUROs is a minimum at this level. The chairman proposed awarding a prize for young people, for instance students who join the Erasmus project. 12,500 EUROs seems a nice prize for a deserving student. Minister Eyskens is prepared to work out a more concrete proposal.

6. Varia: Prince Henri d'Arenberg says that the historical festival in Aremberg, Eifel, was a success. 500 to 600 people were present. Pictures of the festival can be seen on the website.


Minutes of the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation
Arenberg Archives and Cultural Centre (AACC) on 8th May 2004

 Present: HSH Prince Leopold d'Arenberg, HSH Prince Henry d'Arenberg, HSH Prince Etienne d'Arenberg, Viscount Mark Eyskens (Chairman), Minister of State and former Prime Minister, Prof. J. Roegiers, Prof. J.-M. Duvosquel, Dr. C. de Moreau de Gerbehaye, Mr. Yves Delannoy, Mr. Guy Lernout as well as guests.
1. The minutes of the previous meeting on 31st May 2003 were approved.

2. Mr. Guy Lernout, director of the AACC, presented its annual report .

The Chairman said that the report and the work of the directors of the AACC, Mrs. Lieve Bické and Mr. Guy Lernout, were very positive. He proposed to post the text of the report on the Arenberg website.

The Chairman regretted that there were no dissertations for a university licence, based on the ducal records for the following year. He suggested that the professors present should compile a list of 5 topics which were worthy of attention by academia. There was also a discussion of the copies and photographs (digital) of old documents, replies to letters and emails and the searches needed to satisfy visitors.

3. HSH Prince Leopold of Arenberg explained the financial situation of the ACA. It had succeeded in obtaining financial support from the town of Enghien, the Studium Arenbergense asbl, the German Arenberg Foundation and the Arenberg family. New sponsors or patrons are still being sought. Under consideration are: the universities, the Fondation Roi Baudouin [King Baudouin Foundation], major institutions, the tourist sector, the European Parliament, etc.

4. Prof. Duvosquel and Mr. Morsa briefed the Committee on the book which was in preparation - "La Maison d'Arenberg dans les anciens Pays-Bas, Belgique romane et Grand-Duché de Luxembourg" [The House of Arenberg in the ancient Netherlands, Roman Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg]. The first part is ready. The second part, the history of the estates, is moving forward but there are difficulties. The iconography is different from the edition for Dutch speakers. Mr. Morsa had read all the drafts that had been sent to him and he had also revised the bibliography.

5. Mrs. Marie Cornaz explained - passionately - her project for the classification of the partitions of the Arenberg collection and her outline programme of work. She briefed Committee members on her task. The Chairman referred to this as a "fascinating and very important" task.

6. Mr. Jacques Rousseau, honorary Chairman of the Society for the History of Sedan, reported (with his usual enthusiasm) on his planned work dedicated to "L'Histoire de la Maison de la Marck" [The history of the House de La Marck].

7. HSH Prince Leopold d'Arenberg reported to the Scientific Committee on the potential collaboration of the AACC with the Museum of Europe, Brussels.

8. HSH Prince Henry briefed the Committee on a new project. This was to be an "historic festival" at Aremberg in the Eifel on 12th September 2004. Details would follow.
 
 
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