Timeline

Castrum Peregrini – Intellectual Playground  was a WWII hiding place at the Herengracht in Amsterdam. For more than six decades, a scholars and artists community emerging from the wartime underground circle lived and worked there, editing a literary review and organising high quality small scale cultural events.

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1942-45
A group of youngsters survives nazi persecution in hiding on the 3rd floor Herengracht 401. They call their safe house Castrum Peregrini.

 

Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht and Wolfgang Frommel took up the role of educators, protectors and friends. They are key to the physical and spiritual survival of the group and any further developments of Castrum Peregrini

1945-1950
In the years following the liberation the group scatters across the world only to realise that the formative years in hiding had made them a spiritual family. They start to think about how to continue living together, working together and/or staying in touch. The idea of a magazine gains shape.

1950
The first issue of the magazine Castrum Peregrini is published. The magazine has subscribers all around the world. It is published in 5 issues a year in a limited and numbered edition.

1957
The foundation Castrum Peregrini is formally set-up. Gisèle donates the building Herengracht 401. Besides the magazine and the publishing house the main goals of the foundation is to establish and maintain a library and archive on the foundations core themes and values arising from the foundations history and network.

1986
Wolfgang Frommel dies in the appartment on the 3rd floor, Herengracht 401

2007
The magazines last issue is published. A new series of publications is initiated in at Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen, Germany under the title Castrum Peregrini. Neue Folge. Further to that publications are now connected to projects and realised in partnership with third parties such as Roma Publications or Uitgeverij Cossee.

2009
Opening of the new project space at Herengracht 401/Beulingstraat and launch of a new activities programme.

Today the building -with it’s history, collection of artefacts, library, archive and inhabitants- hosts an intellectual playground in the light of freedom, friendship and culture: a whitecube for contemporary work in a historic context.

2011
Gisèle is knighted by the mayor of Amsterdam for her role as founder of Castrum Peregrini.
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Here is a dutch language film about the history of Castrum Peregrini made by a group of students of Amsterdam University:  
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