Gerdina Hendrika Kurtz
Encyclopedia
Gerdina Hendrika Kurtz was a Dutch
historian
, writer
and archivist
. She published under the name, G.H. Kurtz.
, and moved to Haarlem
with her family at age seven. She studied at a girl's school there, but her mother died when she was only 13 and she became focussed on schoolwork. She graduated from the Gymnasium and proceeded to the University of Utrecht to study History. During the course of her study she often returned to Haarlem to substitute-teach History and Geography at the Gymnasium. She enjoyed teaching, but was impatient with many of her students. She herself was a gifted student and graduated cum laude in History in 1929 (she was the 5th woman to graduate cum laude from a university in the Netherlands). She started working as a volunteer for the archives of Utrecht and passed her certification exam in 1930 as an official archivist. She continued her volunteer work and taught on the side, until she found an assistant's position with the Gelderse Vallei. Meanwhile she kept looking for a position as archivist.
Interestingly, this second point only made the political agenda after more women began to work in government positions. Prior to that this point was never discussed in the legislature concerning young female farm workers or young female production workers. In any case, these laws discouraged the appointments of women in any jobs, since the expectation was that they would get married sooner or later.
When the city archivist of Haarlem died, the city council first attempted to dissolve the position completely by merging it with the city library. Protests from various groups led them to reconsider and so it came to pass that Miss Kurtz was one of 9 candidates for the position. As a female she was low on the priority list, but she knew several influential people in Haarlem and she was the only one with the proper qualifications. After writing a letter to the city treasurer assuring him that she needed to be paid no more than 2500 guilders per year, she was hired. She held the position from 1938 until 1967.
Six months after her appointment the archives moved to their present location in the old church St. Janskerk
on the Jansstraat in Haarlem. The move itself was an opportunity to reorganize and reorder the archives and Miss Kurtz developed her own catalog system for this. Miss Kurtz became known as the Juffrouw, or mistress. She never married, but helped hundreds of visitors to the city archives with their research projects. During World War II
she wrote a book about the history of the Haarlem archives, in which the devastating effects of the siege of Haarlem
and the French occupation on the archives themselves became all too clear for her. This work probably influenced her to take many pictures of Haarlem during the German occupation, many of which have been used in scientific publications to document various aspects of the war. Not only did she take many pictures, she also hid the archives of the various Jewish organizations of Haarlem in the crypt of the Sint Janskerk, protecting them through the war years. It has been said of the North Holland archives that this was the only government institution in Haarlem without a notice stating "Jews not allowed".
Here are just some of her more popular books:
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
. She published under the name, G.H. Kurtz.
Early years
Gerda Kurtz was born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and moved to Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
with her family at age seven. She studied at a girl's school there, but her mother died when she was only 13 and she became focussed on schoolwork. She graduated from the Gymnasium and proceeded to the University of Utrecht to study History. During the course of her study she often returned to Haarlem to substitute-teach History and Geography at the Gymnasium. She enjoyed teaching, but was impatient with many of her students. She herself was a gifted student and graduated cum laude in History in 1929 (she was the 5th woman to graduate cum laude from a university in the Netherlands). She started working as a volunteer for the archives of Utrecht and passed her certification exam in 1930 as an official archivist. She continued her volunteer work and taught on the side, until she found an assistant's position with the Gelderse Vallei. Meanwhile she kept looking for a position as archivist.
Appointment as Haarlem Archivist
Miss Kurtz graduated at the top of her class, but found difficulty in finding a suitable job. In 1913 a Dutch law enforcing the firing of women after marriage was reversed, but in 1924 a Royal decision was taken to fire all female federal government workers under the age of 45 who got married. In 1933, when Miss Kurtz was looking for a job, this decision was extended to local government employees. Archivists either worked for local or federal government agencies, so her prospects were rather grim. The reasons for these political decisions were:- Because of the high unemployment due to the inter-bellum crisis, women had to "make way for men" on the job market.
- Working women, once married, would use contraceptives to be able to keep up their income, and such behavior was simply not allowed by the church fathers in high government circles.
Interestingly, this second point only made the political agenda after more women began to work in government positions. Prior to that this point was never discussed in the legislature concerning young female farm workers or young female production workers. In any case, these laws discouraged the appointments of women in any jobs, since the expectation was that they would get married sooner or later.
When the city archivist of Haarlem died, the city council first attempted to dissolve the position completely by merging it with the city library. Protests from various groups led them to reconsider and so it came to pass that Miss Kurtz was one of 9 candidates for the position. As a female she was low on the priority list, but she knew several influential people in Haarlem and she was the only one with the proper qualifications. After writing a letter to the city treasurer assuring him that she needed to be paid no more than 2500 guilders per year, she was hired. She held the position from 1938 until 1967.
The Mistress
Janskerk (Haarlem)
The Janskerk or St. John's Church is a former church in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Today it houses the North Holland Archives .-History:...
on the Jansstraat in Haarlem. The move itself was an opportunity to reorganize and reorder the archives and Miss Kurtz developed her own catalog system for this. Miss Kurtz became known as the Juffrouw, or mistress. She never married, but helped hundreds of visitors to the city archives with their research projects. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she wrote a book about the history of the Haarlem archives, in which the devastating effects of the siege of Haarlem
Siege of Haarlem
The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From December 11, 1572 to July 13, 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer...
and the French occupation on the archives themselves became all too clear for her. This work probably influenced her to take many pictures of Haarlem during the German occupation, many of which have been used in scientific publications to document various aspects of the war. Not only did she take many pictures, she also hid the archives of the various Jewish organizations of Haarlem in the crypt of the Sint Janskerk, protecting them through the war years. It has been said of the North Holland archives that this was the only government institution in Haarlem without a notice stating "Jews not allowed".
Publications
From the moment she was appointed, she became member of the Haarlem Historical Society and proceeded to write various publications. In her first four years she wrote ten books.Here are just some of her more popular books:
- Willem IIIWilliam III of EnglandWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
en Amsterdam 1683-1685, 1928 (PhD thesis) - Beknopte geschiedenis van Haarlem, 1946
- Geschiedenis en beschrijving der Haarlemse hofjesHofjes in HaarlemHaarlem is one of the cities in the Netherlands that has a number of hofjes. Some of them are even still in use with boards of regents. Many of these are members of the Stichting Haarlemse Hofjes . The word 'hofje' just means small garden, because the hofjes are generally small houses grouped...
, 1951 - Honderd jaar Gemeentelijke Archiefdienst Haarlem, 1957
- Kenu SymonsdochterKenau Simonsdochter HasselaerKenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer was a wood merchant of Haarlem, Netherlands She was the daughter of Simon Hasselaer and Grietje Koen. When the city was besieged by the Spanish, she led a company of women in defence of the city, becoming famous for bravery...
van Haerlem, 1956 - Het ProveniershuisProveniershuisThe Proveniershuis is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:The hofje was founded in 1707 by the city council to house elderly men of low means, called proveniers. The main building is much older than that. The entire site was once a nunnery, called the St...
te Haarlem, 1979 - De straat waarin wij in Haarlem wonen ; geschiedenis en verklaring der Haarlemse straatnamen, 1965
Later years
Miss Kurtz published her last book at age 80 and died at the age of 90 in Haarlem of a long sickness. She is buried at Westerveld graveyard.External references
- Books by Miss Kurtz on the Google Books Library ProjectGoogle Books Library ProjectThe Google Books Library Project is an effort by Google to scan and make searchable the collections of several major research libraries. The project, along with Google's Partner Program, comprise Google Books . Along with bibliographic information, snippets of text from a book are often viewable...
- Website of the Haarlem Archives (now merged with North Holland Archives)