''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 an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

. From 15 February 1620 consecutive

signatures A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) 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. The writer of a ...

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 and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

(1620-1621),

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

, the Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience (1620-1625) and the Royal Library of Belgium (1622-1628).''Bibliotheca belgica: Bibliographie générale des Pays-Bas'', 1967.

References

1620 establishments in the Habsburg Netherlands 1629 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