Images, Documents and Objects

A Wonderful Mishmash

Gezelle saved his diplomas, schoolwork of his students, all kinds of printed matter, menus, photos, prayer cards and family documents such as his mother's will. The first curator, Paul Allossery of the Gezelle Archives, also gathered all sorts of Gezelle documents. It is a mishmash of clippings, notes, letters, notebooks and the like. A part of it, as well as a beautiful photo collection of Gezelle and his acquaintances are conserved in the Gezelle Museum's archives.

Special Pieces

A Dried Flower

Gezelle picked this flower along the banks of the river Leie in Courtrai. He sent it to his Frisian friend Johan Winkler in 1883.

A Lock of Hair

One lurid piece is a lock of Gezelle’s hair. It was common practice in Gezelle’s time to save a lock of hair of a deceased family member or friend. Gezelle's secretary Cordelia Van De Wiele cherished some of the poet's hair in a small medallion. It was a relic and responded to the desire for a physical reminder of the author. Gezelle shares this honor with other great writers such as Goethe, Austen, Shelley, Multatuli and Reve.

Diploma

This is Gezelle's diploma from the Society of Dutch Literature. As a result of his friendship with the Frisian Johan Winkler, Gezelle became a member in 1890.