Literary Archive
The Letterenhuis has existed since 1933 and is the literary archive of Flanders. The collection consists of archival materials relating to historical and contemporary literary creation, the book business and related fields and arts. The Letterenhuis collects, preserves and provides access to paper and digital manuscripts, letters, documents, portraits and photographs of all ‘literary creators’ in Flanders: writers, poets, essayists, slammers, rappers, singers, journals, theatre and theatre and stage companies and creators, associations, literary companies and institutions and book illustrators. Its collection also includes cultural posters. The collection itself starts in around 1780.
The literary memory of Flanders
As the ‘literary memory of Flanders’, the Letterenhuis preserves over two million letters and manuscripts (more and more of which are digital), 150,000 photographs and 65,000 posters. The correspondence, manuscripts and documentation are used as the source material for research, text editing, biography and literary history and are also increasingly used as the basis of and inspiration for other literary and cultural creations. The database provides an online overview of the collection and many items in the collection are accessible online. Documents can be requested and consulted in the reading room.
Archives of and for Flanders
Since January 2004, the Letterenhuis has been recognised by the Government of Flanders as the literary archive of and for Flanders. This recognition represents significant support and enables the Letterenhuis to further expand, strengthen and optimise its role as an archive. The collection is preserved in optimal conditions and is made available to researchers for study purposes in accordance with international standards. The Letterenhuis also utilises its own expertise on behalf of the literary heritage field as a whole.
Government funding
The Government of Flanders provides annual structural funding to the Letterenhuis. Without that support, the Letterenhuis would not be able to function.
