Ensemble

Novum Belgium / Nova Belgica

Established under the name Belgian Institute for World Affairs on the first of April 1982,

Reorganization and renaming “Novum Belgium” established on April 1^st 1985 and announced via teletext on the NOS and BRT on April 24 1985, Belgium Day, to strive for the repurchase of Manhattan via the Peter Minuit Foundation…

Official Seat Antwerp Rudolfstraat 39

Officially, the Belgian Institute for World Affairs ceased to exist on the occasion of the presentation of a chair of Learning (Leerstoel Van Dyck) in the Rubens-house Museum  on April 1^st 1985 – to from then on be called “Novum Belgium” – officially announce through teletext on Belgium Day 24^th of April… The name ‘Nova Belgica’ crops up in between, and it is uncertain to which degree this is just a fluke or yet another (short) name change…

The Novum Belgium name did not last very long – the issue of the Stock paper to buy back Manhattan is one, and there were a few articles referring to the name, but the whole operation came to a head during the summer of 1986 (Initiatief d’Amis in Vooruit Ghent) so that there was a major pause in relations – each pursuing ‘solo careers’ as it were…