''Nieuwe Tijdinghen'' (in English also known as the ''Antwerp Gazette'') is the contemporary name cataloguers and bibliographers have given to the first Flemish newspaper, which was published without a single fixed title. News was printed from across

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. From 15 February 1620, consecutive

signatures A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

were used on each issue, so that they could be collected and bound as a set. From 8 January 1621, issues were numbered consecutively on the front page. The newspaper carried a wide range of general news, and sometimes included celebratory, polemical or satirical comments, verses, songs and prayers. Each issue was illustrated with a woodcut on the front page, and occasionally with further woodcuts on the back pages. The editorial perspective was outspokenly Catholic and pro-Habsburg. Publication was licensed by the authorities, and almost all issues bear the initials of the canon of Antwerp cathedral who acted as ecclesiastical censor. Considerable runs are preserved in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

(1620–1621),

Ghent University Library Ghent University Library () is a university library located in the city of Ghent, Belgium. It serves the Ghent University community of students and scholarly researchers. History After Ghent University was founded in 1817, books confiscated by the ...

, the

Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience The Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library (Dutch: ''Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience'') is the repository library of the city of Antwerp. It is named after the Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience, whose statue adorns the library. The library ...

(1620–1625) and the

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

(1622–1628).''Bibliotheca belgica: Bibliographie générale des Pays-Bas'', 1967.

References

1620 establishments in the Spanish Empire 17th-century establishments in the Habsburg Netherlands 1629 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century disestablishments in the Habsburg Netherlands 1620 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Defunct weekly newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Belgium Dutch-language newspapers published in Belgium Mass media in Antwerp Publications established in 1620 Publications disestablished in 1629 {{Belgium-newspaper-stub