Lecture John Tholen - How a Fleming made Erasmus famous in Rotterdam

How a Fleming made Erasmus famous in Rotterdam: Willem de Vreese and the Rotterdam Erasmus Collection
In 1920, the director of the Rotterdam city library was sentenced to death. Yet this Fleming, Willem de Vreese, remained in office until 1934. He transformed the municipal institution into a broad public library with a scientific function. His conviction in Belgium for collaboration during the First World War had no impact on his work in Rotterdam. One of De Vreese’s areas of focus was Erasmus: through his efforts, Rotterdam’s collection of Erasmus books grew into the largest Erasmus collection in the world, now a UNESCO World Heritage.
The lecture will tell the story of Erasmus and Rotterdam: how he was born there, how he claimed the city as Roterodamus, how Rotterdam in turn claimed Erasmus, and how highlights from the Rotterdam Erasmus collection provide insight into Erasmus’ life.