Vooruit

Vooruit was originally the festival and art centre of the Ghent-based labour movement, with a ballroom, cinema, theatre, etc.

Vooruit was designed by Ferdinand Dierkens and built between 1911 and 1914, becoming a symbol of the socialist movement in the interwar period.

The building is named after the socialist consumer organisation (or cooperative) Vooruit ("Forward") (1891–1970), supported by Edward Anseele, to protect workers against the instability of capitalism.

As a festival and arts centre, Vooruit was part of the compartmentalised Flemish society until World War II.

After the war, the building deteriorated until the re-launch in 1982 in its present form as a cultural centre.