New Insights in the History of the First International Congress of Geography (Antwerp, 1871).

The internationalisation of geography gained its full strength after World War I. But this phenomenon originated in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, encouraged by the public attention for exploration, the gradual professionalisation of geography at universities, and the organisation of international congresses. The first congres of this type was organised in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1871. The meeting set standards for all other pre-War international congresses of geography. In this contribution we give new insights in the realization of the Antwerp Congress. We focuss on the initiators Charles Ruelens, Jan-Hubert Van Raemdonck and Pierre Génard, their motives for action, the challenges and difficulties they found on their way. We discuss the collaboration between the Belgian organising committee and the European geographical societies, in particular the “Société de Géographie de Paris”. We discover how the first programme was drawn up en give a detailed image of the participants, paying attention to their origins and fields of interests. Finally we show the results of their debates and try to evaluate the lasting results of the encounter. This paper is based on the recently discovered archives of the first Congress in the City Archives of Antwerp.