page_title: Von Bissing University
section_title: University
hierarchical_section_title: Von Bissing University / University
caption_attribution_description: English: Certificate of inscription at Von Bissing University. From the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History, Brussels.
context_page_description: The Vlaamsche Hoogeschool, commonly known as the von Bissing University, was a Dutch-speaking university established at Ghent in German-occupied Belgium in October 1916. The university, which was separate from the existing Ghent University, formed part of the German Flamenpolitik and was a response to the long-established grievance of the Flemish Movement which campaigned against Ghent University's curriculum being taught only in French, despite the university being located in a majority Dutch-speaking region. The institution took its informal name from Moritz von Bissing, the German Governor-General of Belgium from 1914 to 1917, who was one of the chief proponents of the Flamenpolitik.
context_section_description: The university was inaugurated on 3 October 1916 with Peter Hoffmann as rector, with around 40 academics. The German mathematician, Walther von Dyck, was put in charge of the project. Von Dyck strongly believed that the university would defend Germany's strategic and military interests, describing it as "a mighty fortress, a trusty shield and a weapon for us Germans."
  The university opened its doors on 24 October 1916. It faced opposition from current students at Ghent University, and also was condemned by a petition signed by 38 leading Flemish public figures including Louis Franck delivered before its opening. Among the academics was the lawyer Lodewijk Dosfel and the activist Hippoliet Meert. Among the original students was the Flemish Movement activist Wies Moens. It was considerably smaller than the University of Ghent, which had more than 1,200 students in each year before the war. By contrast, Von Bissing university never had more than 400 students in each year at its height.
caption: A certificate of inscription from Von Bissing University
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