Metadata: [Section Fonds administratifs] Education / Public education
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Archives of the City of Brussels
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles
- Postal address:
- Huidevettersstraat 65 / Rue des Tanneurs 65, 1000 Bruxelles
- Phone number:
- +32 2 279 53 20
- Web address:
- http://archives.bruxelles.be
- Email:
- archives@brucity.be
- Reference number:
- ArCity-Brussels-[Section Fonds administratifs] Enseignement / Instruction publique
- Title:
- [Section Fonds administratifs] Education / Public education
- Title (official language):
- [Section Fonds administratifs] Enseignement / Instruction publique
- Creator/accumulator:
- Ville de Bruxelles; Stad Brussel; City of Brussels
- Date(s):
- 1785/2016
- Date note:
- Material continues to be added to this collection.
- Extent:
- 1,439 linear metres
- Scope and content:
-
This fonds is divided into three series.
We note two relevant files in the first series “Instruction Publique I”: file IP I 48 (“primary education, 1808-1881, Jewish school”) and IP I 50 (“primary education – subsidised primary schools, 1832-1862”, containing correspondence and various documents on the Jewish school).
In the second series (“Instruction Publique II”) we note the following files: IP II 7 (containing correspondence, plans, reports, lists of personnel etc. of the Jewish primary school, 1859-1880), IP II 162 (related to the building and furniture of the Jewish school, 1884), IP II 172 (related to the Parc d’enfants Reine Astrid, i.a. concerning placement of Jewish children in various homes; 1939-1942), IP II 812 (i.a. concerning the implementation of the ordinances of the occupying authorities related to the Jews, 28th of October 1940 until 1943), IP II 962 (related to the holiday camp (colonie de vacances) of Mrs. Errera), IP II 1390 (concerning various matters related to the pensions of the teaching staff, incl. of the Jewish schools, 1872-1929), IP II 1873 and IP II 1884 (concerning the Aron-Samdam prize), IP II 2059 and IP II 416 (concerning the Aron-Samdam bequests), IP II 2217 (i.a. concerning the Œuvre centrale israélite de secours, 1936-1939), IP II 2445 (related to subsidies of the city for the central heating of i.a. the Jewish school, 1940-1962). File IP II/1009 of this second series concerns holiday camps, in particular the Villa Johanna in Middelkerke (Jewish holiday camp). The files contain correspondence, lists of suggested children or children authorised to stay at the Villa Johanna, lists of pupils (not exclusively Jewish pupils) requiring a seaside holiday for health reasons, notices sent to schools requesting them to compose these lists, documents concerning the allocation of available places, etc. The lists of children contain their surname, first name, age, place and date of birth and address (1929-1939).
In the third series (“Établissements scolaires communaux”), we note the file ESC 193 related to the sending of pupils to holiday camps and private schools (1930-1931, 1947-1948); it includes information on Jewish holiday camps. We also note file no. 362, concerning the maquette of the sculpture “Les frères van Eyck” crafted by Léopold Wiener and donated by Mrs. Koenigswerther-Wiener (1931), as well as no. 363 concerning subsidies accorded for the monument in honour of Lieutenant General Bernheim on the square Gutenberg (1934-1936). Lastly, we point out the series of personnel files and administrative files concerning the teaching staff of the schools of the city of Brussels. These files vary in size and content; they concern to the career, resignation, fees, course schedules, exemptions etc. and other matters regarding the teaching staff. They generally contain correspondence, diplomas, notes and reports concerning their teaching career.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The municipality is one of the levels of government with which citizens most often come into contact. Its tasks and competences were first established by the decree of 14 December 1789, and by the order of 19 Frimaire year IV [1795-96]. After Belgian independence, the legal framework was provided by the Gemeentewet of 1836 and later the ‘Nieuwe Gemeentewet’ (1988). Since 2002, the organic law regarding municipalities is a competence of the Regions. Until 1980, municipalities were supervised by the provincial and central authorities. Today, there is a division of powers between the federal and regional governments. A municipality is led by a mayor, who is also the head of the local police. He/she is assisted by a college of aldermen, selected from the municipal council. Currently, there are 589 municipalities in Belgium. Before the large-scale fusions in the 1970s – in other words, for a large part of Belgian history – there were 2359 municipalities. The municipality had/has, among others, competences regarding the management of its assets, institutions and staff; municipal revenue and expenditure; Civil Registry; health and safety in public places; urban planning and environment; public works; militia; education; elections etc. This is reflected in the sources held in municipal and city archives. Important general sources include the (sometimes published) minutes of meetings and records of the municipal council and college of aldermen (often indexed by subject). We also refer to all kinds of administrative reports and general correspondence. The series of sources of the Civil Registry (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates, population registers, registers of arrival and departure) are crucial for historical research on individuals. Relevant for this guide are notably the alien registers (since 1933), and the alien files preserved in some larger cities. Of major importance are also the accounts, correspondence and other material regarding the recognised religions. They contain information on their operation, budgets, assets but also the appointment of ministers, donations to religious communities, various conflicts etc. Building permits and files regarding environmental permits contain information and usually blueprints of buildings. Lastly, in many municipal and city archives there are specific series of sources regarding policy during the First and Second World War. We mention e.g. the various anti-Jewish ordinances, documents regarding the spoliation of the Jews, the so-called Jodenregister (register of Jews), correspondence related to the implementation of the anti-Jewish policies etc. (J. Art & E. Vanhaute (ed.), Inleiding tot de lokale geschiedenis van de 19de en de 20ste eeuw, Gent, Mens & Cultuur, 2003; P. van den Eeckhout, “De gemeenten en de lokale openbare instellingen”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 31-92.)
- Access points: locations:
- Brussels
- Access points: persons/families:
- Wiener, Léopold, 1823-1891
- Access, restrictions:
- Access requires the authorisation of the alderman of public education.
- Finding aids:
- The fonds is described in the Pallas database of the ASB-AVB. See also the finding aids Inventaire no. 9/1. Archives de l’Instruction publique, Série I ; Inventaire no. 9/5. Archives de l’Instruction publique : index de la série II ; Inventaire no. 26. Archives de l’Instruction publique : série I (cartons 1 à 118) ; Inventaire no. 27/1-6. Archives de l’Instruction publique : série II (cartons 1 à 250) and the card index Fichier no. 53. Dossiers des enseignants (mentioning name and first name), arranged alphabetically.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
