The Tragic Fate of Adriaan Koerbagh
Adriaan Koerbagh died in October 1669 in the Rasphuys in Amsterdam. A year earlier, he had been sentenced to a prison term with forced labor and locked up in the Rasphuys for his ‘blasphemous writings’. Koerbagh felt called upon to radically promote the ‘Ligt’ (‘Light’) of new insights. He did so in Dutch with his liberal dictionary Bloemhof and with his last book, the philosophical work Een Ligt Schijnende in Duystere Plaatsen (A Light Shining in Dark Places).
Koerbagh strove for a wide dissemination of enlightened ideas. He paid for this with his life, 350 years ago.
The Story of Koerbagh
This exhibition brought together the works of Adriaan Koerbagh for the first time. The story of Adriaan Koerbagh, his life and his thinking was told using books, objects and images providing insight into the cultural-historical context.
In 1668, the Utrecht printer Johannes van Eede refused to print the second half of Adriaan Koerbagh’s book Een Ligt Schijnende in Duystere Plaatsen (A Light Shining in Dark Places). After a quarrel about this with Adriaan’s brother Johannes, he sent the first, already printed half to the authorities. This sealed the fate of Adriaan, who had already fled to Culemborg.
As a symbol of resistance to this and other obstacles to the spread of free speech, visitors to the exhibition were able to continue where the printer left off. On a small printing press, they could print the next page of Koerbagh’s manuscript.
Publications
- To accompany the exhibition, Hannah Laurens published an accessible booklet on Koerbagh’s philosophy: De rede: bron van geluk voor iedereen (Reason: source of happiness for everyone).
- Download the exhibition booklet (pdf) of the exhibition Adriaan Koerbagh: Rehabilitation of a Maverick Thinker.
Media attention
- On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, guest curator Hannah Laurens gave an interview to RTV Katwijk (in Dutch).
- Sunday with Koerbagh: Do you think about what you say? (in Dutch). Video made by young people from the Zintuigfabriek. The Zintuigfabriek is a creative centre where young people can develop themselves and are guided by a group of young, creative entrepreneurs.