It is widely known that the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam, founded by J.R. Ritman, was in great danger in the 1990s, when the ING bank took possession of the collection and threatened to sell it. Fortunately, the Dutch government intervened: the BPH was put on the list of protected Dutch heritage, and the State eventually acquired over 40% of it. The books remained at the same physical location, integrated with the rest of the collection, and the government would eventually acquire all of it. As part of this process, there were great plans for further expansion. Largely due to the financial crisis and a change of government this was taking somewhat longer than originally anticipated, but nobody doubted that the library was safe. Last week this turned out to be incorrect. An extremely valuable medieval manuscript owned by the BPH (The Grail of Rochefoucauld) was put on sale at Sotheby’s, and this triggered a reaction from the Friesland Bank, which took possession of the library, that had apparently been brought in as collateral, in order to get back a 15 million euro loan from mr Ritman. At present the BPH is closed, and intense negotiations are going on behind closed doors. It is impossible at this moment to predict the outcome, but there is no doubt that the situation is extremely serious. There is a very real possibility that the Friesland bank will try to sell at least the ca. 60% of the library that is still owned by mr Ritman, and nobody knows what implications this will have for the rest of the collection and the BPH as a whole, including its staff. The brand-new government of theNetherlands has announced a program of radical financial cuts in the culture section and elsewhere, which makes a renewed intervention from that side highly unlikely.
If the Ritman library would go down, this would mean an enormous blow to international scholarship in hermetic studies. The damage would be irreversible. By signing this petition you express your concern, and ask the Dutch government and the Friesland bank to do their utmost to ensure that the collection will be saved and will remain available for the international scholarly community.
Additionally, you can express your concern by means of a signed letter. The initiative for this petition comes from the Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam (organizationally independent of the BPH, and not in any danger itself), so please send your letter to its director: Prof. Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Oude Turfmarkt 141-147, 1012 GC Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Email: w.j.hanegraaff [ at ] uva.nl
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
December 7, 2010
Reached 1,000 supporters
November 25, 2010
November 24, 2010
I set this page up hoping to find a few people who cared about these books, but seeing one hundred signatures is honestly overwhelming. This shows me that the concern for this collection is far broader than I ever imagined.
Reached 100 supporters
November 24, 2010
37 Comments
Sincèrement votre. Pierre Olivier Lyon
This collection should not be destroyed.
La Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica ( Ritman Library) ne doit pas etre pillee ni vendue. Elle doit rester la propriete de son fondateur pour continuer d'etre au service de l'humanite qui a soif de la verite dans son essence pure et originelle. Levons et protegeons ce joyau unique !!! Afrique/ Rep du Benin
The library is very important. The treasures of old wisdom are conserved there. And kept together.
The BPH library should remain as part of the cultural heritage of mankind and put under the protection of the UNESCO. The closing of this library would be a terrible loss to our cultural heritage.
It would be a shame and a terrible loss to our cultural heritage when the Library should close.
I would like to save our cultural heritage!
Please leave this library intact.
Please help preserving this valuable institute. Thank you.
i will stop using ing
This library, this culture asset should never be closed!
As I understand it, the library was originally founded by Frans Janssen. Why are people saying it was founded by Boost Ritman??!!
As a hermetic and dutchman this is too grave an issue to ignore.
Do not close Ritman Library.
Do not close Ritman Library.
Very rare collection available to the public. Should remain as it is.
Please stop the dissolution of theBibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Ritman Library). Thess books are a patrimony of European Culture.
I will be happy to look after these books if necessary :)
This library is worth more than money and should not be decimated and fall into private hands. This is a treasure not only of great importance to Europe but to the whole of the World. It is only greed that will dissolve this library and another great treasure will be lost to rich private collectors as the rest of the world continues in its ignorance. It will be a very very sad day if this library disappears.
salvaguarda del patrimonio cultural
Such an important cultural heritage must be protected fur usselves and following generations.
As a dedicated student of hermetic philosophy, the Ritman Library has always been a place I dreamed to visit and study. I see it as a pilgrimage only dreamed about for every student of the hermetic, rosicrucian and alchemical path. It hold the upmost value to everyone related to these subjects. There is no place like it, and it would be extremely detrimental to our community. Speaking in unison with all other hermetic students and practitioners, we beg those in power to do what they can to preserve the library in its current condition. Many thanks.
Origine del Caos
il y a des endroits et des messages qui doivent rester dans la beauté de la nature . il faut savoir préserver le patrimoine universel.
Man muss die Bibliothek unbedingt für die Nachwelt erhalten.
As an ancient member of the Library & a young adult concerned by the unveiled sciences, the metaphysic, the mechanism of the spirit, the origin and destination of mankind, the different worlds we're evolving in, the meaning of elements correlated to the planets, the magic of Nature, God the principle of every little things..... for our comprehension of the Life ! So please, let hope the good people of something higher than money ! I give you all my best wishes from France !
DEATH TO THE NAZARENE ENICH
Knowledge should not be restricted purely for the elite. It should be shared.
Keep this collection intact for generations to come all this knowledge under one roof I wish we had something like this in my neck of the woods
not close this library!! don not sell these books!! that's a part of our spiritual history!
not close this library!! don not sell these books!! that's a part of our spiritual history!
SAVE WISDOM
SAVE WISDOM
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It is widely known that the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam, founded by J.R. Ritman, was in great danger in the 1990s, when the ING bank took possession of the collection and threatened to sell it. Fortunately, the Dutch government intervened: the BPH was put on the list of protected Dutch heritage, and the State eventually acquired over 40% of it. The books remained at the same physical location, integrated with the rest of the collection, and the government would eventually acquire all of it. As part of this process, there were great plans for further expansion. Largely due to the financial crisis and a change of government this was taking somewhat longer than originally anticipated, but nobody doubted that the library was safe. Last week this turned out to be incorrect. An extremely valuable medieval manuscript owned by the BPH (The Grail of Rochefoucauld) was put on sale at Sotheby’s, and this triggered a reaction from the Friesland Bank, which took possession of the library, that had apparently been brought in as collateral, in order to get back a 15 million euro loan from mr Ritman. At present the BPH is closed, and intense negotiations are going on behind closed doors. It is impossible at this moment to predict the outcome, but there is no doubt that the situation is extremely serious. There is a very real possibility that the Friesland bank will try to sell at least the ca. 60% of the library that is still owned by mr Ritman, and nobody knows what implications this will have for the rest of the collection and the BPH as a whole, including its staff. The brand-new government of theNetherlands has announced a program of radical financial cuts in the culture section and elsewhere, which makes a renewed intervention from that side highly unlikely.
If the Ritman library would go down, this would mean an enormous blow to international scholarship in hermetic studies. The damage would be irreversible. By signing this petition you express your concern, and ask the Dutch government and the Friesland bank to do their utmost to ensure that the collection will be saved and will remain available for the international scholarly community.
Additionally, you can express your concern by means of a signed letter. The initiative for this petition comes from the Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam (organizationally independent of the BPH, and not in any danger itself), so please send your letter to its director: Prof. Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Oude Turfmarkt 141-147, 1012 GC Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Email: w.j.hanegraaff [ at ] uva.nl
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
December 7, 2010
Reached 1,000 supporters
November 25, 2010
November 24, 2010
I set this page up hoping to find a few people who cared about these books, but seeing one hundred signatures is honestly overwhelming. This shows me that the concern for this collection is far broader than I ever imagined.
Reached 100 supporters
November 24, 2010
37 Comments
La Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica ( Ritman Library) ne doit pas etre pillee ni vendue. Elle doit rester la propriete de son fondateur pour continuer d'etre au service de l'humanite qui a soif de la verite dans son essence pure et originelle. Levons et protegeons ce joyau unique !!! Afrique/ Rep du Benin
Sincèrement votre. Pierre Olivier Lyon
This collection should not be destroyed.
La Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica ( Ritman Library) ne doit pas etre pillee ni vendue. Elle doit rester la propriete de son fondateur pour continuer d'etre au service de l'humanite qui a soif de la verite dans son essence pure et originelle. Levons et protegeons ce joyau unique !!! Afrique/ Rep du Benin
The library is very important. The treasures of old wisdom are conserved there. And kept together.
The BPH library should remain as part of the cultural heritage of mankind and put under the protection of the UNESCO. The closing of this library would be a terrible loss to our cultural heritage.
It would be a shame and a terrible loss to our cultural heritage when the Library should close.
I would like to save our cultural heritage!
Please leave this library intact.
Please help preserving this valuable institute. Thank you.
i will stop using ing
This library, this culture asset should never be closed!
As I understand it, the library was originally founded by Frans Janssen. Why are people saying it was founded by Boost Ritman??!!
As a hermetic and dutchman this is too grave an issue to ignore.
Do not close Ritman Library.
Do not close Ritman Library.
Very rare collection available to the public. Should remain as it is.
Please stop the dissolution of theBibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Ritman Library). Thess books are a patrimony of European Culture.
I will be happy to look after these books if necessary :)
This library is worth more than money and should not be decimated and fall into private hands. This is a treasure not only of great importance to Europe but to the whole of the World. It is only greed that will dissolve this library and another great treasure will be lost to rich private collectors as the rest of the world continues in its ignorance. It will be a very very sad day if this library disappears.
salvaguarda del patrimonio cultural
Such an important cultural heritage must be protected fur usselves and following generations.
As a dedicated student of hermetic philosophy, the Ritman Library has always been a place I dreamed to visit and study. I see it as a pilgrimage only dreamed about for every student of the hermetic, rosicrucian and alchemical path. It hold the upmost value to everyone related to these subjects. There is no place like it, and it would be extremely detrimental to our community. Speaking in unison with all other hermetic students and practitioners, we beg those in power to do what they can to preserve the library in its current condition. Many thanks.
Origine del Caos
il y a des endroits et des messages qui doivent rester dans la beauté de la nature . il faut savoir préserver le patrimoine universel.
Man muss die Bibliothek unbedingt für die Nachwelt erhalten.
As an ancient member of the Library & a young adult concerned by the unveiled sciences, the metaphysic, the mechanism of the spirit, the origin and destination of mankind, the different worlds we're evolving in, the meaning of elements correlated to the planets, the magic of Nature, God the principle of every little things..... for our comprehension of the Life ! So please, let hope the good people of something higher than money ! I give you all my best wishes from France !
DEATH TO THE NAZARENE ENICH
Knowledge should not be restricted purely for the elite. It should be shared.
Keep this collection intact for generations to come all this knowledge under one roof I wish we had something like this in my neck of the woods
not close this library!! don not sell these books!! that's a part of our spiritual history!
not close this library!! don not sell these books!! that's a part of our spiritual history!
SAVE WISDOM
SAVE WISDOM
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La Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica ( Ritman Library) ne doit pas etre pillee ni vendue. Elle doit rester la propriete de son fondateur pour continuer d'etre au service de l'humanite qui a soif de la verite dans son essence pure et originelle. Levons et protegeons ce joyau unique !!! Afrique/ Rep du Benin