Landjuweel

[2] The Landjuweel started out as a cycle of seven shooting matches between the Schutterij guilds in Brabant, who used the opportunity to practice the handling of arms.

The literary contests within the festivals were transformed into local or regional rituals that lasted for days and even up to three weeks, and often with endorsement from the municipal authorities.

For instance, a chamber based in Bailleul named Jong van Zinnen (Les Jeunes Cœurs) organized one landjuweel in 1769, attracting thirteen societies to participate in presenting the Tragedy of Mithridates.

The thirteen chamers were from the following towns: Steenvoorde, Ypres, Alveringem, Polincove, Lo, Flêtre, Bergues, Roeselare, Hondschoote, Diksmuide, Nouvelle-Église, Strazeele and Poperinge.

The continuity was interrupted by the wars between the Habsburg Netherlands and France, in addition to the growing suspicion of the authorities towards the chambers of rhetoric.

The chambers of rhetoric and other literally societies that took refuge during the 16th century, being outspoken writers of the Low Countries, were now considered dangerous by the authorities, from the perspective on both faith and morals.

A poster, promulgated in 1593 under the governor Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, ordered the rhetorical activities to be suspended "since their representations offend the chaste ears".

The De Peoene chamber of Mechelen organized a competition of heraldry in 1620, for which its facteur, Hendrik Faydherbe, wrote an esbattement.

[17] The landjuweel was reinstated in 1922 by King Albert I, with the help of Herman Teirlinck, as the most prestigious award for a Flemish amateur theater company.

It concerns a single silver bowl that is in principle awarded annually as a challenge cup during the Landjuweel Tournament at the end of October.

In practice, a cash prize is offered to the winning group whole the bowl was kept in the Sterckshof Silver Museum in Deurne.

Subsequently, a new concept was developed in which qualitative productions were selected during a preliminary round and were allowed to participate in the Landjuweel Festival.