FAQ

The OVN Foundation frequently receives questions concerning its activities and the field of study in general. You will find answers to the most frequently asked questions below:

- What is the OVN contact address?
Stichting OVN, PO Box 65700, 2506 EA The Hague, the Netherlands, info@stichtingovn.nl

- How do you stay informed of upcoming OVN activities?
Follow us on social media: Linkedin / Twitter or subscribe to our mailing list at info@stichtingovn.nl. You can cancel the subscription at any time and we never share subscriber's data with third parties.

Our website is currently being updated (and may be offline temporarily). OVN cannot be reached by phone, but our board members can be reached through their professional offices.

- What is the OVN Foundation?
We are an independent academic organisation. The OVN Foundation aims to stimulate the academic study of the history of freemasonry and related esoteric currents in the Netherlands and its former overseas territories. We do not represent any masonic organisation. More information is available on our website. Leaflets are available at request.

- Where do I find information or literature about (Dutch) freemasonry for a paper or PhD?
On our website you will find the header ‘Geschiedenis’ (History) with a short overview of the development of Dutch freemasonry and suggestions for further reading. For a more specific orientation on the available literature, you can contact the Vrijmetselarij Museum in The Hague or a masonic museum or library in your own country. The Information portal on our website provides links to various specialized collections. 

For information on the possibilities of writing a BA-/MA-paper or dissertation on the history of freemasonry, and suitable subjects, you could contact the chair for the study of western esotericism at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (the chair for the study of freemasonry at the Leiden University is inactive since 2010).
For an overview of some interesting gaps in academic knowledge of Dutch freemasonry, see for instance André Hanou, ‘Aandachtspunten bij onderzoek naar vrijmetselarij in Nederland’, in: Vrijmetselarij in Nederland. Een kennismaking met de wetenschappelijke studie van een ‘geheim’ genootschap, Stichting OVN, Den Haag 2003. This publication can be ordered from info@stichtingovn.nl

- Where do I find adresses of (Dutch) masonic organisations?
Most masonic organisations have websites, providing contact details of lodges in your region or country, easily found by using Google (look for your city's name in combination with search terms like 'lodge', 'freemasonry' or 'masonic'). You can also find links to Dutch masonic organisations in the Information portal on our website.

- Where can I find information on a (Dutch) historical figure or family member, who was a freemason? 
In most cases, you can consult the archive of the masonic organisation in question:

• The 18th-20th century archives of the Order of Freemasons under the Grand East of the Netherlands can be consulted by appointment, after contacting the Vrijmetselarij Museum in The Hague. The collection includes many archives of individual Dutch lodges, but some have been transferred to Municiapl archives. Our website provides links to relevant archives te vinden.
• The archives of the Dutch Federation of the International Order of Mixed Freemasonry Le Droit Humain can be consulted in the Municipal Archive of The Hague. (Documents after 1945 may not be yet be available for research due to privacy laws.)
• The archives of the Nederlandsch Verbond van Vrijmetselaren can also be consulted in the aMunicipal Archive of The Hague.(Documents after 1945 may not be yet be available for research due to privacy laws.)
• The archives of Dutch masonic organisations founded after 1945, including female masonic lodges, are (as far as we know) not yet available for research. 

On our website you may consult a summary of our guide to masonic documents in Dutch public collections: Archiefwijzer maçonnieke archieven. The published, expanded version is sold out, but copies are available in various libraries, such as the National Library in The Hague. A third edition is being prepared.

- Do I qualify for an OVN research grant?
The OVN Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for financial support. We only support research into the history of freemasonry or related currents in the Netherlands and its formere overseas territories, or the accessibility of relevant archives/sources. Furthermore, grants are not available unless the board has announced a new season for applications. For more information see the Research page on this blog.

- Which lectures, courses or conferences can I attend?
Up to date information on our activities is shared with our donors through our email-newsletter, and announced to the general public through our social media. Donors are offered a discount fee for activities and publications. Next to our regular activities aimed at a wide audience, OVN can provide private courses and Masterclasses for academic or heritage organisations for a non-commercial fee. Feel free to contact us at info@stichtingovn.nl to discuss the possibilities.

- Are the lectures of OVN conferences available in print?
Yes, see the 'Publications' page on this website. Some are sold out and only available in libraries, but you can still order Vrijmetselarij in Nederland (2003); Masonic & Esoteric Heritage (2005) and 'A heritage collection, Unequalled in the World' (2023). Donors are entitled to a discount fee. Orders are welcome at info@stichtingovn.nl.

- Can OVN provide a speaker for our lodge or organisation?
Our board members are always willing to provide information on the the aims and activities of OVN, but as volunteers their time is often limited due to home or work commitments. Please contact us at info@stichtingovn.nl to see what is possible. If the OVN Foundation does provide a speaker to your event, reimbursement of travel costs and a modest donation would be considered appropriate. Such donations are reserved for future activities and research grants to benefit the field of study. 

(Some of our board members are working as independent researchers on the history of freemasonry in daily life, and as such are often invited as speakers for events. OVN cannot be an intermediate for bookings in their professional capacity. Please contact these researchers through their individual offices and consider that commercial fees may apply.)

- Can OVN answer information requests or assist with research?

Yes. Within our board, and among our donors and relations is a lot of expertise on freemasonry and western esotericism, art history, geneology, museum and heritage management. We can answer general information requests or carry out (archive) research upon request. For instance, OVN can assist with:

• Identifying or dating masonic objects or documents,
• Identifying to which lodge a historical figure belonged and what their level of involvement in freemasonry was,
• Identifying and explaining the masonic or esoteric symbolism present in documents, art works, architecture or monuments,
• Confirming, explaining or excluding a perceived relationship between freemasonry and a particular subject or design.

For questions which require active research, non-commercial fees apply. OVN is also available to coördinate more complex, long term academic and heritage projects. We can also organise workshops or Masterclasses, provide contacts to other relevant experts or organisations, and/or advise on funding or subsidies in order to make relevant (heritage) projects possible. Feel free to contact us at info@stichtingovn.nl for more information. 

- More information
If your question is not answered above, please feel free to contact info@stichtingovn.nl.