With the participatory heritage project Krijt het Verleden (Chalk the Past) by Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen (Province of East Flanders), pupils in Deinze were able to creatively engage with their city's history. An exhibition at the Leietheater now showcases the results of their discovery journey.
Pupils from the Leerbos and Kleurenplaneet schools worked with findings from two archaeological excavations. On the Market Square, they used chalk to make the outlines of the former town hall visible again, and on Sint-Poppoplein, they traced the remains of excavated buildings and graves. The children learned to read archaeological plans and historical maps, then translated this information to the actual excavation sites.
In the classroom, pupils built their own interpretation of the former town hall using cardboard and worked with skeleton data sheets, similar to those used by archaeologists. Deputy David Coppens, responsible for Heritage, emphasized that the project fosters connection between people through heritage and brings different generations closer to their local history.
Bart van Thuyne, alderman for Material Heritage in Deinze, added that the project allows children to creatively discover how their city looked in the past and invites everyone to look at the Market Square and Sint-Poppoplein with new eyes.
The pupils' discoveries will be presented from October 30 to November 9 in an exhibition at the Leietheater, featuring real archaeological finds, photos of the chalk activities, and creations by the participating children.
In conjunction with the project, Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen and stad Deinze (City of Deinze) also launched a new Erfgoedsprokkel (Heritage Snippet) publication, titled Verdwenen maar niet weg. Een wandeling door het middeleeuwse Deinze (Disappeared but not gone. A walk through medieval Deinze). This publication is available for free at Toerisme Deinze and digitally via oost-vlaanderen.be/erfgoedsprokkels.
