Maison d’Érasme / Erasmushuis

The Museum of Art, History and Folklore of Anderlecht, commonly called Erasmus House, was founded in 1932 in a historic building where Erasmus lived from 1517 to 1521. The curator considered since its creation that a section on folklore and Jewish history should be an integral part of the future museum, but no trace of this section was found in the documents relating to the first exhibition of the institution. It was about to open a section related to the Hebrew archeology and Jewish folklore to enrich visitors' knowledge of Judaism and in particular to help them discover the history of Jewish communities established in Anderlecht. But despite numerous contacts with various museums and Jewish personalities, financial resources remained limited, as the available space. This project did not come into existence. The project was to be completely stopped during and after the war. However, a showcase devoted to Judaism was exhibited at the Museum up to 1954. The museum still has to this day a "Jewish collection" including hundreds of archives dating mainly from the inter-war documents, but also Judaica, objects of worship and prayer books.

The files are arranged thematically. The items have been ordered, identified, and their subject translated to French by Z. Seewald.

The Erasmus House is one of the oldest houses in Brussels (1460-1515). This age-old dwelling, a rare Gothic-style survivor, is built with “Spanish” bricks. The roof, with its projecting step gables and flanked with two quatrefoil chimneys which already herald the Flemish Renaissance, crown the facade with its “1515” date.