Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Algemeen Handelsblad was a Dutch daily newspaper founded in 1828 by stock trader J.W. van den Biesen. The newspaper, which was originally liberal, economically oriented and Amsterdam-based, merged with the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant in 1970 into NRC Handelsblad.
Founding
Squatters' stronghold in the 80s
In 1822 Van den Biesen became a partner of the trading house J.C. Wächter. From July 1825 onwards, that firm published a fourteen-day trade report Waarenberichten, which the initiators described as "an attempt to improve the economic situation by mentioning trade announcements". Partly due to the death of the oldest partner, the company was liquidated in 1827. As a result, Waarenberichten also ceased to exist. Van den Biesen continued the printed trade circular as a Algemeen Handelsblad to be published on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The first issue appeared on January 5, 1828. From 1830 it was the first daily Dutch-language newspaper, where it was also given a political coloring by political developments.
Growing influence
Paleisstraat Amsterdam, in July 2011 according to the banners still inhabited by activists
The newspaper was primarily intended for merchants and bankers. The largest part of the magazine therefore consisted of reports about appointments, lists of listed companies and exchange rates and advertisements. In addition, the newspaper tried to report news as well and independently as possible. That was new for that time, and different from what people were used to. The Nieuwe Amsterdamsche Courant, for example, was owned by the city council, and was only filled with articles that were not contrary to the government's interest. The paper gained more and more stature and influence through sharp moderate liberal views on the national finances and the national budget, trade policy and the colonies. In the first years, the Algemeen Handelsblad was located in a narrow and low building on the corner of the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and the Paleisstraat. This had everything to do with the proximity of the Beurs van Zocher, where an important part of the news items came from. The proximity of the post, telegraph and later telephone office further down the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal was also of great importance to the Algemeen Handelsblad.
New construction
Built by Eduard Cuypers in 1903, now social housing of Ymere
In 1831, the newspaper merged with the Nieuwe Amsterdamsche Courant. The office on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal was expanded with the four buildings at numbers 234 to 240. Until the end of the 19th century, the editorial board and the administration were seated here. In 1882, the circulation had already grown to 9000 copies, making it one of the largest daily newspapers in the Netherlands. An important role at the Algemeen Handelsblad was played by Charles Boissevain, whose grandfather and father were also involved in the newspaper. He started there as a journalist and editor. In 1885 he became editor-in-chief, together with A. Polak. Two years later he started his column 'From day to day', which would make him the most famous journalist in the Netherlands. During the Second Boer War, the newspaper sided with the Boers, which contributed to the further growth and popularity of the Algemeen Handelsblad.
The editors in 1904.
Far right Max Blokzijl
Around 1900, business was going so well that a new building became necessary. Eduard Cuypers was commissioned to design a new complex for the editors, administration and printing works. In 1902, the old buildings were demolished. The new building on this site was put into use in 1903. However, the growth continued, especially after the First World War, as a result of which all buildings in the block Keizerrijk, Spuistraat, Paleisstraat and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal were gradually acquired. This was often accompanied by demolition and new construction.
From 1931 Daniel Johannes von Balluseck was sole editor-in-chief, after the resignation of incumbent editor-in-chief Jan Kalff Jr. He continued the right-wing liberal course of the newspaper. He had a great aversion to the emerging National Socialism and therefore disputed this in his articles.
Editor-in-chief Jan Kalff Jr. in 1927
Von Balluseck had a tense relationship with the director of the Algemeen Handelsblad, Alexander Heldring. The former believed that the fierce way in which the editor-in-chief fought the pro-German National Socialist Movement (NSB) was costing the newspaper too many readers. He also felt that Von Balluseck had too little interest in, and knowledge of, domestic politics. The tone of the newspaper was increasingly determined by the director, who also had editorial control at the Algemeen Handelsblad. The conflict flared up so high that Von Balluseck was relieved of his position with effect from January 1st, 1938. Nevertheless, he continued to use the personal title of "editor-in-chief", although his name was removed from the newspaper's headline. After Heldring's death, in September 1938, Von Balluseck resumed his old position, although his name did not appear in the newspaper headline again until October 15, 1939.
Von Balluseck gave his employees great freedom in their articles. The trust he placed in his employees was only betrayed by Max Blokzijl, correspondent in Berlin, and Sjoerd Hoogterp, editor of agriculture. After the German attack on the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, both men openly declared their membership of the NSB. During the occupation, Blokzijl became the Nazis' main radio propagandist.
During the war
During the first year of the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany between May 1940 and May 1945, the Handelsblad initially opposed any interference by the occupying forces. Under Von Balluseck, the Algemeen Handelsblad continued to fight National Socialism. The newspaper excelled in disguised anti-German expressions, for example by unexpectedly breaking off mandatory war messages halfway through. As a result, the number of subscribers grew to an unprecedented height: on June 30, 1941, it was about 60,000. The annoyance of the occupying forces gradually increased, and the Handelsblad was seen by the occupying forces as the leading anti-German paper. [source?] Because stories circulated about sabotage at the Algemeen Handelsblad, and because demands to dismiss Von Balluseck were not heeded, the Sicherheitspolizei raided the newspaper's building on Saturday morning, July 5, 1941. Editorial archives were confiscated and Von Balluseck and deputy director A.J. Boskamp were arrested. In order to continue to appear, the newspaper had to meet four demands: immediate resignation of Von Balluseck and Boskamp; appointment of agriculture editor Sjoerd Hoogterp as acting editor-in-chief; the appointment of the chief of general affairs A.J. van Dijk (also a member of the NSB) as deputy director and the dismissal of all Jewish staff members. Director H.M. Planten and the supervisory board agreed to the demands, in their own words to save employment for the four hundred employees of the newspaper. Immediately after Von Balluseck was fired and Hoogterp took office as acting editor-in-chief, he fired sixteen editors, twelve of whom were of Jewish descent, including Philip Mechanicus. He replaced them with collaborators of his own political persuasion. The Algemeen Handelsblad changed its character instantly; pro-German employees were appointed to important editorial posts and editorials in the spirit desired by the occupying forces filled the newspaper from then on. One of the editors with National Socialist sympathies, for example, was Chris de Graaff, first chief art editor and then deputy editor-in-chief. An anti-Semitic writer like Albert Kuyle also came to work on the editorial board. The rest of the original editors had to give up their recalcitrant attitude.
Von Balluseck was imprisoned in the "Oranjehotel", the prison in Scheveningen. After a month he was released without being subjected to any interrogation. Shortly afterwards (January 1942) he was arrested again and held as a hostage in camp Sint-Michielsgestel. He was released in September 1944.
After the war
Von Balluseck (standing, 1965)
Von Balluseck then had to wait another year before he could publish another issue of the Algemeen Handelsblad under his own responsibility. He returned to his post as editor-in-chief after the liberation, but the newspaper was convicted and banned from publication as part of the press purge. After the short sentence, the newspaper was allowed to appear again on 1 September 1945, but not under the NV Algemeen Handelsblad but under a foundation of which Dirk Stikker was the chairman. Von Balluseck tried to turn his newspaper into a left-liberal newspaper following the example of the then The Manchester Guardian. [2] However, the traditional readership of the Algemeen Handelsblad did not want any understanding of Indonesian nationalism from a left-wing socialist perspective. Von Balluseck's change of course turned out not to be viable, and soon the newspaper returned to the old path.
1945–1970
The post-war Algemeen Handelsblad was published exactly 25 years ago. Among the journalists from that period who gained national fame as journalists or otherwise, were Hans van Mierlo, Jan Blokker and former editor-in-chief Henk Hofland. From 2 December 1960 there was cooperation with the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant within the framework of the Dutch Newspaper Union (NDU), and from the beginning of 1970 there was talk of a merger. This merger, which was motivated by economic motives, was completed in the same year.
On 1 October 1970, the first edition of NRC Handelsblad appeared, initially under the title Handelsblad-NRC in Amsterdam and the north. Economically, all newspapers were doing badly at that time. Partly due to the rise of radio and television, newspapers not only lost readers, but also advertisers and thus their income. In addition, rising wages and high paper and printing costs weighed heavily on the budget.
Moving to and from Rotterdam
The editorial office was centralized in Rotterdam, only a small Amsterdam editorial office remained in Cuypers' building. Since the late seventies, the circulation of the Algemeen Handelsblad has already been printed in Rotterdam. The last editors had to move to a former fashion warehouse on the other side of Amsterdam's Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal on 1 January 1977. Van Zanten Vastgoed B.V. bought the complex for an amount far below its book value, and planned to demolish it and build new offices on this site.
Squatted in 1978
The fear of coronation riots, and the proximity of the Nieuwe Kerk and the Palace on Dam Square, where the inauguration of Beatrix would take place on April 30, 1980, was an additional reason for the municipality to purchase the building
However, the planning procedures took too long, and before it could be demolished, the complex was squatted on 3 March 1978. The complex was then sold in a squatted state to Wilma Vastgoed B.V., who wanted to build shops and apartments there.
Pressure from the squatters on the municipality to buy the complex and to cooperate in an alternative use with youth housing, studios, shops and restaurants, were successful in 1980. However, it took more than five years before there was any agreement between the municipality and the squatters about the renovation and the operation afterwards.
Remodeling
Paleisstraat
Around May 1985, emergency and basic facilities were introduced: repairs of leaks, the insulation of the water pipes, the installation of gas and electricity on the Paleisstraat, and the refurbishment of the stairwells. The facilities were completed in November 1986: the residents started paying rent under the 81 signed provisional leases. At the end of 1987 the negotiations were concluded after much wrangling and emergency meetings, attempts to glue together and compromise proposals, ultimatums and fall-and-death attitudes. It was decided that the complex would be converted into 87 residential units and 7 work and retail spaces, including Galerie K.I.S. In 1988, the municipality began the renovation, which was completed in the summer of 1990. Various residential groups were created, mostly with non-self-contained housing units. The complex was officially opened on September 4, 1990.
Housing corporation
The Amsterdam Municipal Housing Company, which renovated the complex, built a new building and rented it out from the second half of the 1980s, was privatized in 1994 into the Stichting Het Woningbedrijf Amsterdam. Between 2004 and 2014, this foundation merged with housing corporations in Amsterdam, Almere, Haarlem, Haarlemmermeer, Noord-Kennemerland and Weesp to form the current Ymere Foundation, creating one of the largest housing corporations in the Netherlands. As a result, the homes and business premises in the Algemeen Handelsblad complex, also incorrectly known as the NRC-Handelsblad complex, are now rented out by this housing corporation. A large part of the plinth, where restaurants and shops are located, has been sold to two new owners at one point.