Nomination file

The Colonies of Benevolence, agricultural settlements established in Belgium and the Netherlands in the early 19th century, constituted a radical, large-scale experiment in social reform and poverty relief rooted in the ideas of the Enlightenment.

The cultural landscape of the Colonies of Benevolence bears witness to an exceptional undertaking that began two centuries ago in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Leading citizens who believed in the malleability of human life and the landscape founded the Society of Benevolence with state support. The Society established the Colonies of Benevolence between 1818 and 1825. The idea was that these domestic agricultural colonies would give impoverished city-dwellers a fresh start. They would reform their lives by adhering to a disciplined regimen of labour and learning, with strict limits being placed on their personal freedom. The experiment attracted considerable attention abroad.

This was a civic poverty relief initiative on an unmatched scale with unprecedented impact, even by current standards: local committees from up and down the Kingdom of the Netherlands sent paupers to the colonies, located in uncultivated, sparsely populated parts of the country. In only seven years, more than 80 square kilometres of wasteland were transformed into self-sustaining agricultural colonies of a distinctive type, characterised by an orthogonal grid of tree-lined avenues, waterways and plots of farmland, with communal buildings located in the centre.

Most notable were the social and educational facilities that the Society of Benevolence made available in each colony, at a time when such resources were anything but commonplace in wider society, such as compulsory education, health care and homes for the elderly. Although the colonists had little freedom of choice, they were free to practise their own religion. For the first time ever, caring for the underprivileged and for ‘elements of society that fall outside the accepted framework’ was regarded as the collective responsibility of society.

Today, the various Colonies of Benevolence retain their distinctive features and pursue purposes similar to those for which they were originally founded. The Utopian idealism of the early 19th century gradually gave way to pragmatism. The original notion was that the colonists would return to society as ‘reformed citizens’, but the reality often turned out otherwise. In the unfree colonies, the focus shifted from combating poverty to tackling vagrancy, psychiatric problems and even traditional crime. The idea of using agricultural labour as a form of therapy faded into the background. The free colonies eventually evolved into ordinary villages.

To preserve these exceptional cultural landscapes for posterity, the site holders have set up a management structure that operates in layers, from the transnational to the local level. This structure is supported by an Advisory Committee for Science, Education and Quality.

The Colonies of Benevolence have been nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List under Criteria ii and iv.