Figure 1.--This picture shows children at a holiday home for children in Sankt-Vith. The photograph was taken in the showers of a former orphanage. The region was German up to World War I and has remained German-speaking despite efforts to frenchify it after its annexation to Belgium in 1918. When British troups occupied Sankt Vith in 1918 they quarantined the orphanage on account of an epidemic of influenza. When quarantine was lifted the institution became a holiday home for children from the nearby city of Liege and that is when this picture was made. Regards, /i>

We do not have a great deal of information on summer camps in Belgium, but they seem to exsist. Unlike America, there does not seem to be an established tradition of summer camping. The Scouts in particular have sponsored summer camps. I do not have any information on other youth groups at this time. A HBC readers provides some information from his boyhood in Flanders during the 1960s. Summer camps were organized by by health insurance oragizations called 'ziekenfondsen' (at the time they were called 'mutualiteiten' which shows their origins as mutual, non-profit insurances). Another reader tells us of charitable "vacation" homes".

Scout Camps

The Scouts in particular have sponsored summer camps. I do not have any information on other youth groups at this time. A HBC readers provides some information from his boyhood in Flanders during the 1960s.

Other Youth Groups

I do not have any information on other youth groups at this time.

Ziekenfondsen

Summer camps were organized by by health insurance oragizations called 'ziekenfondsen' (at the time they were called 'mutualiteiten' which shows their origins as mutual, non-profit insurances). There were Christian (read: Catholic), Socialist and Liberal organizations which all had their own summer camps. Like the Netherlands, Belgium was a highly compartmentalized society. The divides ran along socio-cultural lines. While this system has lost much of its impact in the Netherlands, it is in full swing in Belgium, the deepening rift of its linguistic divide having added compartments over the past decades. There was (is) a Christian political party, health insurance, workers' union, countrywomen club, teachers' union and so on and so forth. Same thing for the Socialists and the Liberals. [Belgian and Dutch Liberals, unlike their British namesakes, are conservative and right wing. If in the USA they would probably vote Republican.] An old school pal jokingly told me that the Socialist Goat Breeders Association of Belgium are now likely to break up into Flemish, Walloon and German-speaking societies.

Vacation Homes / Colonie de Vacances

Another reader tells us of charitable "vacation" homes". We are not precisely sure just what a "vacation home" was. It appears to have been somewhat simmilar to an American summer camp, perhaps not as elaborate and not set in a rural or wildreness area. Our reader explains, "As I see it a camp would be in tents, barrack or the like, a home would be in a regular building, this being concurrent with the use of the English word ' home ' in the Belgian dialect of French. They use it for almost any building were care is given to children, the elderly, vagrant or destitute people. I have seen the term ' colonie de vacances ' which may be either a camp or a home. Here we see the showers at the former orphanage in Sankt-Vith (figure 1). The region was German up to World War I and has remained German-speaking despite efforts to frenchify it after its annexation to Belgium in 1918. When British troups occupied Sankt-Vith in 1918 they quarantined the orphanage on account of an epidemic of influenza. When quarantine was lifted the institution became a holiday home for children from the nearby city of Liege and that is when this picture was made. The camp looks to have contibued to be operated by the Catholic Church as we see a nun in the background. In the early 20th century when the photographb here was taken, charity in Belgium was almost exclusively a matter of the Catholic Church. In modern Belgium the state is the major provider. These children presumably were cared for without any charge or at the most a nominal fee. Even as late as the 1960s, colonies de vacances/summer camps (by then run mostly by state social security) were catering for the lower income classes. Extrapolating this to the 1920s it is highly unlikely that these children could afford to pay more than a nominal fee.

Created: 4:55 PM 1/9/2005
Last updated: 3:48 AM 1/11/2005