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‘Doolen’ is the name for the community center, located in the former Boys’ School of Doel.

The Boys’ school was founded at the end of the nineteenth century as a mixed primary municipal school. It is a typical example of a neo-classical school construction. There are three classrooms and a master’s residence. Two grades were accommodated in each classroom. The single classroom in the middle of the courtyard was called ‘the Cold Class’ by the youngest residents of Doelen. A coal stove was burning in the room, but anyone who sat too far away suffered from the cold. With a twist to this story, this room – which today serves as a Sunday meeting room – is called ‘Den IJskelder’. And sure enough: there is still an old pot stove.

© Jeroen Janssen

The Boys’ School was closed in 1992 and stood empty for eight years before it was squatted in the summer of 2000 by young people from the non-profit organization ‘De Vrijbuiter’. Since then it has acted as the (warm) hearth of resistance for the preservation of Doel.
After a bitter legal battle, the non-profit organization acquired the use of the building and converted it into a community center. With our own resources and with the help of many hands from friends, Doelenaars, visiting classes and youth movements. The buildings are used for exhibitions, meetings, lectures and cultural activities that serve the fight for the preservation of Doel. The Doolen is also the heart of the annual Doelse Feesten, which take place in August, together with the traditional Scheldt consecration.

© Bruno Stevenheydens

At the intercession of former champetter Maurice Vergauwen, the building was renamed ‘de Doolen’, after the old name of Doel. ‘Doolen’ means as much as ‘flooded land by the water’. So a dam, a dike. The name became a command. The community center was to become a dam against the megalomania of the port. A beacon for a world that strives for balances between opposing forces: water and land, harbor and polder, prosperity and well-being, people and economy, nature and agriculture.

© Bruno Stevenheydens

Doolen is regularly open to visitors on Sunday afternoons. In addition, there are numerous events that take place in the community center. Subscribe to the newsletter via www.doel2020.org or follow the Facebook page to stay informed.