Culture Policy Statement

The 2024–2027 Culture and Heritage Policy has been in effect since last year. In this policy, the municipality of Moerdijk has outlined its ambitions, goals, and actions for the coming years in the areas of culture and heritage. With this policy, we aim to make even better use of the power of our culture and heritage. In this newsletter, we highlight the most important initiatives and activities from the past year that help us better experience and preserve culture and heritage in Moerdijk. They are organized around the three key pillars that we also use in the Culture and Heritage Policy: connecting, experiencing, and preserving.

Connect

Culture Coach Appointed

In early 2024, Linda den Hollander began working as a Cultural Coach. Her responsibilities include supporting community organizations, fostering connections among them and with the municipality, and facilitating the exchange of information.

The Culture Coach played a supporting role in organizing and carrying out the program for the 80th anniversary of the liberation. She was also involved in the establishment of the TOOON Foundation (a collaboration among music associations in Moerdijk) and the continuation of the Art and Monuments Route. In addition, she provided advice and assistance to associations on matters such as obtaining permits and organized a meeting on fundraising for foundations and associations.

80 Years Since Liberation

A working group consisting of local history societies, memorial committees, and music associations, with the support of the municipality, quickly put together an engaging program to commemorate and celebrate the 80th anniversary of Moerdijk’s liberation. Activities were organized in every town in our municipality, running from September through early November 2024. For example, the commemorative gathering in Standdaarbuiten featured 300 pairs of shoes symbolizing the victims of the German occupation. There was also a “Liberation Bus” that visited all the important sites in the municipality related to the occupation and liberation, a large liberation concert in Zevenbergen, and multi-day programs in Moerdijk village and Zevenbergschenhoek.

Venues for Culture

During the municipality’s internal discussions about community facilities, there is a consistent focus on the use of municipal real estate for cultural activities. In 2025, we will survey the cultural sector to determine whether there is a need for more spaces for cultural creators. And if so, we will assess what that need looks like in concrete terms so that we can determine whether we might be able to make municipal facilities available for that purpose.

Experience

Study on Potential Uses for Fort Sabina

The study into potential uses for Fort Sabina has begun. The goal is to explore ways to make better use of the fort so that it can accommodate more visitors at once and to explore the possibility of creating an open-air stage. We expect the results of this study by mid-2025.

Grant for Cultural Activities

Thanks to the increase in the subsidy for cultural activities, Theater de Schuur in Zevenbergen and Fort Sabina were able to carry out a full-scale cultural program in 2024.

Tourism Marketing: The Story of Moerdijk

On the initiative of the municipality, a number of electrical boxes in Willemstad have been adorned with historical images. This was done in collaboration with the West Brabant Archives. Through this art project, a total of eight electrical boxes literally bring the rich history of the fortified town to the streets, giving residents and visitors a new way to experience history—and thus the story of Moerdijk. Each artwork is accompanied by a brief description explaining the context of the photograph.

Retained

Cultural-Historical Values Map Updated and Digitized

The Moerdijk Cultural-Historical Values Map has been updated and digitized in collaboration with local history societies and adopted by the council. Residents and proponents of land-use plans can now see much more quickly which cultural-historical values are present in a given area so that these can be taken into account during the planning process, for example. The map is available digitally on the website “Cultural-Historical Values Map of the Municipality of Moerdijk (CWK)” and can be accessed via Moerdijkmaps. For elements designated as “very high value,” we are investigating which tools the municipality of Moerdijk can use in the future to preserve and protect them.

Heritage: Fee Ordinance Amended

The fee regulation has been amended so that owners of historic buildings do not have to pay additional fees for making their buildings more sustainable.

Grant Programs

The cultural education grant program has been revised and updated with a number of primarily technical changes. We have also begun evaluating and revising the music education grant program, with the involvement of music associations. In addition, we have started drafting grant programs for the operating and budget grants of our cultural and heritage organizations. This will allow us to award grants in a more targeted manner and better focus on the goals we aim to achieve through them.