Wegens bijzondere omstandigheden is de bibliotheek tot nader order gesloten. Due to special circumstances the library is closed until further notice...
"Ik ben zelf een fervent bezoeker van cultuur." - Halbe Zijlstra
Die Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica hat eine weltweite Bedeutung und ist ein Aushängeschild für das Interesse der Niederlande an der Geschichte religiöser Toleranz und religiöser Vielfalt. Es wäre für die philosophie-religions geschichtliche Forschung eine Katastrophe, wenn sie auseinandergerissen und verkauft würde. - Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schmidt-Biggemann
To me, the founder of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, the Brotherhood of the Rosycross remains a lasting inspiration, captured in the symbol which is the emblem of the library. - Joost Ritman
The BPH has a value that transcends utterly the world-concept of those who may permit either actively or passively its dissolution. All mankind is involved in the life of the freed mind. Those who oppose the BPH for financial reasons oppose the Spirit of Humankind.
If you know the meaning of the word shame; act accordingly.
Tobias Churton
If the Ritman library would go down, this would mean an enormous blow to international scholarship in hermetic studies. The damage would be irreversible. By signing this petition you express your concern, and ask the Dutch government and the Friesland bank to do their utmost to ensure that the collection will be saved and will remain available for the international scholarly community.
Wouter Hanegraaff
I have used the Ritman library on several occassions and it so happens that a valuable collection of hermetica bound in a volume dated 1616 and stemming from Sweden is now part of the collection. Its origin is the library of Säfstaholm castle where count Gustaf Bonde resided over a great hermetic library thus became evident. Bonde's collection was dispersed in 1932 at a public auction and without BPH and its open access it would have been impossible to reconstruct the 18th century hermetic concerns among the highest nobility in Sweden. The news that BPH is undret threat of closing is therefore most disconcerting and I join those who now petition for its survival. - Susanna Åkerman
The renowned Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica , founded by Dutch businessman & rosicrucian J.R. Ritman is disintegrating...
The State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands (Halbe zijlstra) probably out of sheer frustration, transferred the core collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica to the National Library in The Hague. (contrary to his predecessors in the Ministry and their continuing support for the BHP and Ritman, Zijlstra unfortunately, didn't get on very well with Ritman). The state owned books were really not in any danger and there was nu seizure. In order to at least keep the collection in Amsterdam , the University of Amsterdam who do have the right facilities for these treasures, offered to temporarily house the books, an offer which was rejected by the Ministry.
And so the famous esoteric library where Umberto Eco wrote his Foucault's Pendulum and where Dutch author Harry Mulisch found inspiration for the Discovery of Heaven is now, due to special circumstances, closed until further notice...
A petition started by Professor Wouter Hanegraaff (University of Amsterdam, Fac. Of Humanities, Geschiedenis van de Hermetische Filosofie en verwante stromingen; gHF) in order to keep the library intact, did not have the desired results. The State of the Netherlands have moved its share (which they bought in 2005 in order to preserve our cultural heritage for an amount of € 18.700.000,--) from the Ritman Library at the Bloemstraat and taken (i.e. one third of the collection) to the National library of the Netherlands in The Hague. It concerns unique historical manuscripts and books about spirituality and Western esoterism. There is no comparable collection worldwide…
Joost Ritman, in 2010 still on the Quote 500 list of wealthiest Dutchmen with an estimated fortune of 80 million Euros, encountered periods with severe financial problems, read shortage of liquid assets. The first period of which began in 1993…
Ritman always financed his art through his corporation 'De Ster' (The Star), that produced plastic tableware. Between 1976 and 1992 Ritman spent some 95 million guilders on art objects. The ING Bank allowed this until the first Gulf war in 1993. The bank intervened and the entire book collection was about to be sold by Christie's in London. The Netherlands government however did not want the collection to be dismantled and gave it the status of "protected National heritage". In 1999 Ritman sold his company “De Ster” to the Swedish Duni Corp. (in the hands of the Wallenberg family empire) for a very substantial amount of guilders. With these revenues he obtained his entire collection back from ING.
On the advice of the Dutch Council for Culture, the State of The Netherlands in 2005 acquired a cross section of the rare books and manuscripts of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. The State paid almost 19 million euro for the works. Till 8 December 2010 these works acquired by the State remained in the BPH and thus continued to be available for scholarly research as part of the Ritman collection. Ritman claims the state had agreed to buy even another share of the collection which led him to borrow money to expand it further. Now that sale is not going ahead, the bank is demanding repayment
Menwhile btw, Joost Ritman had started a new business called Helios and again with considerable success. In 2007 the Wallenberg’s offered him 50 miljoen euros to also purchase “Helios”. Ritman refused the offer because he wanted to remain independent.
Businessman Joost Ritman, who owns the rest of the BHP collection, is now embroiled in a dispute with the Friesland bank and his library has been closed in November 2010. The whole affair escalated when Ritman, early December 2010, sold one of the key pieces – a 14th century illuminated manuscript known as the Rochefoucauld Grail for €2.8m at auction in London despite the Bank’s seizure.
Joost Ritman is a key member of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum’s International Spiritual Directorate of 13.
(P.S. rumours will it that a yet unknown, mysterious and very wealthy third party will come to the rescue of the BPH; well hopefully so and I will keep you posted if such miracle arises)
16 March 2011 update:
Since they don't have the guts to auction the books (because of their reputation) the Friesland bank is now planning to auction Ritman’s real estate on Friday, April 15, 2011 with an estimated value (in 2006) of € 6.000.000,-
Ritman owns several buildings on the Amsterdam Bloemgracht. His private residence, “Helios” offices and the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.
Ritman avers though that he’s not bankrupt, but needs some time to generate the necessary cashflow. If a new agreement with Friesland Bank fails, he will try to prevent the auction through a lawsuit.
The auction will take place on April 15th, 2011 at Dorint Hotel Amsterdam Airport and consists of three authentic Amsterdam canal houses (Bloemgracht), three mansions (Bloemstraat) and two detached houses on the Dorpsweg in Schellinkhout, West-Friesland.
"Geld moet niet rollen, geld moet klimmen!" - Motto Friesland Bank
F*** you FRIESLAND BANK: A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain!
The End of the Beginning or The beginning of the End:
So does the dissolution of the BHP look like a Faerie Queene story about the good Redcrosse Knight and the wicked magician Archimago? Things tend to look black and white. But we all know that some people are a little bit guilty, while other people are guilty as hell. Ritman is a man, putting it mildly, known for his complex personality. He is also known for taking big financial risks and this time he's been overplaying his hand… (IMHO).
For an in-depth reconstruction of the BHP affair to date,
please read Stefan Vermeulen’s excellent article in (Dutch)
Vrij Nederland magazine # 14 of 9 April 2011.
The Grail of Amsterdam: or how debt, clumsy guards and
an overzealous state secretary ruined a top library.
18 April 2011: Ritman real estate saved by the bell!
A yet unknown benevolent benefactor saved the 8 Ritman houses from last Friday's foreclosure auction by at the last minute buying the lot for the current market value! So he does exist after all our masked mystery guest...
9/6/2011 UPDATE: JOOST RITMAN’s AMAZING HOUDINI ACT
After months of negotiations Ritman (1941) now has got his books back! Well at least part of the collection. Some very precious books have been sold through Sotheby’s. The seizure of his possessions has been revoked. How the cunning old fox got rid of all his creditors at Sotheby’s and the Friesland Bank still remains an enigma!
Allegedly one of the most precious books the unique Corpus Hermeticum from 1471 has been auctioned, but through Sotheby’s no trace of it can be found. Anyhow Ritman managed to pay off his debt to Sotheby’s and paid c.q. re-financed his Friesland Bank debt for which he sold real estate in the Amsterdam Jordaan area. Overall, those actions are 13 million euros. Consequently he now holds all works not sold or claimed by State Secretary Halbe Zijlstra (Now in the National library of The Netherlands in The Hague). So theoretically he could re-open the BHP. However, has he sill got the staff and can he afford the operationg costs??
Ritman is now considering about what the steps are to be taken...
PER ASPERA AD FONTES!
16 December 2011: The Ritman Library or what's left of it re-opens and celebrates that event with a new exhibition, Infinite Fire.' I just had to save my life’s work’ - Joost Ritman
‘The library has risen from its ashes like a phoenix’, says a content Ritman. ‘It’s a victory of mind over matter.’
www.ritmanlibrary.nl
It is true without lies, certain and most true;
That which is below is as that which is above,
and that which is above is as that which is below,
to accomplish the miracle of the one thing.
It is true without lies, certain and most true;
That which is below is as that which is above,
and that which is above is as that which is below,
to accomplish the miracle of the one thing.
Tabula Smaragdina
BINGO DAY: So where the great author our Spear-Shaker (a.k.a. Sir Francis Bacon) once said: All's Well That Ends Well; this fairy-story ends relatively well for rosicrucian Joost Ritman. However the future for the Friesland Bank is NOW far less fortunate: the Friesland Bank's been sold to the RABO Bank on 02-12-2012 after a nearly fatal loss.
Well maybe it's just true that 'what goes around comes around or 'that after all the head of the snake will turn around and bite you in the butt... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTNMyzZ9hl0
