Bormshuis

Bormshuis is a small museum and documentation-and-archive centre dedicated to the history of the Flemish movement, located on the Volkstraat in Antwerp. Its name refers to August Borms (1878–1946), a controversial figure of Flemish nationalism who was sentenced after the Second World War for collaborating with the German occupier.

How did the Bormshuis come about?

The institution traces its roots to 1971, when the Borms Documentatie- en Actiecentrum (BDAC) was founded with the aim of gathering and preserving material connected to Borms and, more broadly, to Flemish-nationalist thought and activism. In 1981 the collection was moved into a building on the Volkstraat in Antwerp, which from then on became known as the Bormshuis. It was only in 2006 that the centre formally changed its name from Borms Documentatie- en Actiecentrum to Bormshuis, Documentatie- en Archiefcentrum voor de Geschiedenis van de Vlaamse Beweging — the Documentation and Archive Centre for the History of the Flemish Movement.

What is on show inside?

The centre runs exhibitions and publishes material on Borms and his contemporaries within the Flemish movement. Over the decades its scope broadened well beyond Borms himself: today its collections and exhibitions also cover other figures from the radical wing of the Flemish movement, as well as related nationalist circles in the Netherlands, among white South Africans, and in French Flanders.

Why is the Bormshuis controversial?

The centre's namesake was convicted of collaborating with Nazi Germany, which keeps the institution at the centre of public debate. In 2022, Belgian media — including VRT NWS — criticised the city of Antwerp over how its official website described the Bormshuis and Borms himself, arguing the text lacked critical distance from his wartime role and legacy.

Frequently asked questions

Who was August Borms? A Flemish nationalist activist (1878–1946) who was tried and executed after World War Two for collaborating with the German occupying forces.

Where is the Bormshuis located? On the Volkstraat in Antwerp, in the building the centre has occupied since 1981.

What does the centre do today? It maintains an archive and documentation on the history of the Flemish movement, organises exhibitions, and publishes material about its activists — not only about Borms.

Is it a typical tourist attraction? Not in the classic sense — it is a specialised documentation centre, of interest mainly to visitors curious about the political history of Flanders and the wider region.