Belgian heritage abroad
Throughout the centuries, Belgians have left their mark all over the world, in the form of bridges, buildings, urban installations, glass windows, frescos... Often the name of the heritage site refers to Belgium and therefore raises Belgium's profile. Local governments usually take care of the conservation. The Prize for Belgian heritage abroad aims to promote this rich and often forgotten heritage. This prize does not only award the most outstanding local conservation initiatives, but is also meant to be an indirect incentive for better long-term conservation.
The three winners of the Prize 2017 are:
The 'Vila Belga' of the ‘Compagnie auxiliaire des Chemins de Fer au Brésil, in Santa Maria (Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil), a residential quarter built from 1905-1907 by the ‘Compagnie auxiliaire des Chemins de Fer au Brésil’ to house their staff. The Belgian aspect lies in the Belgian contractors whose (Belgian) employees stayed in this place.
The Belgian Friendship Building in Richmond (Virginia, United States), an example of avant-garde architecture. The outer walls show several master pieces of sculpture relief in reference to the Belgian Congo. The Belgian architect Henry van de Velde, one of the founders of art nouveau, designed this building for the world exhibit of 1939 in New York.
The Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles (CRSN) in Lwiro (South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo), that since its creation stayed operational, even during the turbulent war years which ravaged the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1990-2000. Several cases of looting took place, but the scientific collections stayed relatively intact: the largest scientific library of the Great Lakes region, an extensive collection of mammal skeletons and stuffed animals, an sizeable herbarium which covers the entire region as well, etc.
For photos, see this page.