December 17, 2020 marked fifty years since a branch of the Dutch Youth Association for the Study of History (NJBG) was founded in Gorinchem on the initiative of Claas van Kuilenburg. NJBG was (and still is) a national association for young people aged 12 and over with an interest in history.
Particularly popular were the annual excavation camps where members assisted in archaeological research under the guidance of professional archaeologists.
NJBG members at the heart of urban redevelopment (1971)
The young Gorcum department got its own clubhouse in 1971: The Pest House (Bagijnenwalstraat 22), where the members met weekly. In the 70s, the department board was critical of the consequences of the urban redevelopment. The city centre was exposed to deforestation and many buildings that we would now like to see return to the cityscape disappeared under the wrecking ball. All municipal zoning plans were therefore closely monitored. The awareness of monument preservation grew. Partly due to efforts from the NJBG, the Gorinchem Urban Restoration Foundation (SSG) set up. Two years later the Merewade Foundation with a series of publications on subjects from the history of Gorinchem. The first archaeological research on the Langendijk (1973) was also initiated by the NJBG. In the early nineties the department slowly died out, but for many members membership offered a guiding step in their studies and working life.
Ruurd van Donkelaar and Henk Hovenkamp looking for stones from the Arkels castle.
Reünie
After the COVID measures were no longer an obstacle to a meeting, fifteen former members came to Gorinchem on Friday afternoon, September 24, to reminisce together. The alumni were warmly welcomed by Aron de Vries and Esther Franken in the exhibition space of the Regional Archives where for this occasion photos from the history of the NJBG Gorinchem were also on display. Esther Franken then took the group to the new professionally equipped depot of the Gorcum's Museum.
Reception at the Regional Archives and the new depot of the Gorcum Museum.
In the afternoon, the program continued in the museum. Master of ceremonies Claas van Kuilenburg treated his audience to an appealing retrospective of the 70s. Several former members presented the representatives of the museum, regional archives and the archaeological depot with a number of physical mementos from their personal collections. For example, the depot received an army shovel and a measuring tape from Bert Stamkot, used in the first archaeological explorations. Wim Voogt also donated a 17th-century wall tile and Henk Hovenkamp donated a pipe clay print from a 16th-century mold for the production of saints. The afternoon concluded with a communal dinner.
Of course there was also time for a group photo at the fountain.
Special edition Scriptum Caspingium
Like every local NJBG branch, Gorinchem had its own magazine from 1971 to 1978, called 'Scriptum Caspingium', named after the Roman settlement Caspingium like the one on the Peutinger map occurs. This magazine not only published contributions from its own members, but also articles by Gorcum authors and some nationally known historians. On the occasion of the reunion, a special edition was published.
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Astrid Lorjé-de Haan et al. (2021) Scriptum Caspingium. A special edition. Published on the occasion of the reunion of former members and those involved with the Gorinchem and surrounding area branch of the Dutch Youth Association for the Study of History (NJBG), Gorinchem, September 24, 2021. flipbook | PDF (7 MB) |
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 To the bottom: 50 Years of NJBG Gorinchem and surroundingsIt was in the summer of 1970 that Claas van Kuilenburg told his HAVO-4 classmates Rolf van Acquoy, Bert Stamkot and Wim Voogt about his plans in Gorinchem, a local branch of the Dutch J... |