The Special Collections currently oversees the storage of over 600 maps, plans and atlases in our depository. These are not all old maps; there are also examples from the 19th, 20th and even 21st century.
Part of this subcollection consists of our own acquisitions, but the bulk originated in the collection of the Koninklijk Aardrijkskundig Genootschap van Antwerpen (KAGA, Royal Geographical Institute Antwerp), a scientific institution that attracted explorers, geographers and other scientists to share their knowledge between the 1880s and 1970s.
Our collection features some big names, like Adrien de Gerlache, Roald Amundsen, marshal Lyautey and Ernest Shackleton. Through the disclosure of this archive, the university aims to revive the interesting past of the KAGA institute and facilitate research into its practices.
The archive of the KAGA is kept in the Special Collections at the University Library of Antwerp and is searchable using a separate catalogue.
Explore the KAGA archives
