Bangs Not Involved With Setting Up Pilgrim Archive

Leidsch Dagblad
Wednesday, 21 February, 2001, p. 13 (Leiden & Region section)

Bangs Not Involved With Setting Up Pilgrim Archive
Leiden. Wim Koevoet

Alderman Pechtold (D66 [political party] / [alderman for] culture) does not want to work together with the Leiden American J. Bangs in setting up the Pilgrim Archive. Van As (Christian Union/Constitutional Reformed Party) and Vlasveld (LWG/De Groenen [Leiden Friendly Again/ The Greens]) insisted there should be collaboration yesterday evening in the council meeting, but to no avail. They consider it a missed opportunity that Bangs, who privately [i.e. independently] runs a small Pilgrim museum in the Beschuitsteeg, is left out of the town's plans.

Vlasveld and Van As called attention to Bangs' great expertise and pointed out that he had set up a Pilgrim Archive in the past already. Van As also said that he doesn't think it's a good thing that the archive, which will be partly digital and will partly have an exhibit element, is going to compete with Bangs' museum. But Alderman Pechtold maintained that the archive and Bangs' museum "complement" each other.

The alderman also said he was no supporter of bringing Bangs' material and that of the town together in one place. "That would give the impression, that then that's everything there is." According to Pechtold the town is teeming with places where the Pilgrims have left their tracks. Pechtold did not cast doubt on Bangs' experience and knowledge, but he thinks that his own people from the town archives on the Boisotkade can stand on their own as far as that's concerned. "They're completely familiar with the Pilgrim dossier."

Except for councillor Vergeer of the SP [Socialist Party], no one dared name the actual reason for keeping Bangs at a distance. It's a public secret that the town government is purple with rage about the information Bangs is spreading on the internet, about Pilgrim monuments and the way Leiden is treating them. According to Bangs, Leiden is wiping out all traces of the Pilgrims. [NB: That is a tendentious overstatement from Mr. Koevoet. - JDB]

The direct cause for the bad relationship is the wall remains of the former Vrouwekerk, which according to Bangs was of great significance to the Leiden Pilgrim community. The town government disputes that and is acutally planning to demolish the wall remains.

Bangs is spreading criticism of the Leiden city government on the internet. He suggests, among other things, that the wall remains are situated in the Aalmarkt area. [NB: I have consistently said the Vrouwekerk is a demolition project geographically very close to and conceptually but not financially related to the Aalmarkt demolition project.-JDB] The influence of Bangs' campaign is so great that Albert Heijn [i.e. AHOLD], with its American interests, has shied away from investing in the new shopping center.

The Pilgrim Archive is then also intended to polish up Leiden's image in America, and to clear up "misunderstandings." S.P. leader Vergeer expressed himself less diplomatically. "With the archive, the town wants to put a brake on that odd mister Bangs, who is spreading disinformation." At that moment, Bangs was sitting above Vergeer in the public gallery.