Who would notice if all the Church buildings were gone?

18-02-2011

Meanwhile nowhere is there so clear an example of what religion was and is in Western culture than the church buildings which determine the landscape of a city, town, or district. Now that worship services are removed weekly from churches, knowledge about the buildings has become increasingly important and urgent.

Fortunately, over the past 50 years, the admirers of these buildings have produced a special database for the specific details: Reliwiki. Therefore, all the buildings are now in a very accessible and user-friendly website.

On February 1, the Reliwiki Foundation has joined Refo500 as a partner through the sponsorship of another Refo500 partner (Donatus Insurance / Donatus Verzekeringen). This now gives Refo500 partners access to an unprecedented database of all religious buildings in the Netherlands.

Reliwiki contains the factual data about the location (complete with Google Maps), its users, its original and current use, construction date, and the architect of the bulding, descriptions, and many photos and maps. Also included are demolished buildings with a view to providing a comprehensive historical picture. For a number of buildings, there is not any additional information, but that is an on-going project.

The uniqueness of Reliwiki is that the database is always growing and is continuously developed by users. In two and a half years, over 75,000 photos have already been uploaded and many descriptions have been written. A volunteer has taken up the task of the floorplans. Nowhere else is there such a digital survey of a type of building that is so complete and grows dynamically. A set core of volunteers ensures that the data are checked and that the photos fulfill certain standards. A technical team guarantees the stability and accessibility of the website. Without the technical ability provided by a community of enthusiastic people, nothing would have happened. We are urgently seeking sponsors who want to help keep the work in progress, so that the flow of subsidies does not dry up. Let’s keep this source of knowledge!

Reliwiki hopes, that as a substantial network partner, the spoken, print, and digital manifestations of Refo500 will provide fuller and more fruitful links with other activities in this initiative.

On February 23, there will be a volunteers of Reliwiki day where we discuss the work and exchange experiences, for example, about the descriptions and photos. Anyone who wants to help is welcome! The meeting will take place at the National Office for Cultural Heritage (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed) Smallepad 5, Amersfoort, beginning at 1 PM. Please register by February 21 via info@reliwiki.nl.

Gerhard Mark van der Waal
Reliwiki Coordinator


Caption:
The Reliwiki Community spans the whole country and keeps a sharp eye on religious heritage. Example: one day after the fire in a church tower, there were pictures of the church at Wijhe on Reliwiki.

Photographer: Rob Kreukniet.