The neo-Renaissance villa of the Dutch Institute is located on the outskirts of the Parco Villa Borghese, close by the institutes of Belgium and Sweden. The late 19th century saw a growing interest amongst foreign scientists in Italian history with the opening of the Vatican archives by Pope Leo XIII. The Dutch mission started in 1904 with a lone historian behind a desk and a bookshelf in a corner of the Prussian Institute. By the mid 1930s it had moved into a building of its own and grown considerably in size and staff.

Today, the villa houses an impressive library of some 50,000 volumes, and offers courses and research facilities to students and scholars from all over the world. The institute has guestrooms where students and scholars can stay for several months while doing their research. Recently Queen Beatrix gave the Dutch Institute her official royal approval, but the NIR has yet to add 'Royal' to its name.

"Our function is mainly educational," says the institute's director Marjan Schwegman. "We have courses for Dutch students who are interested in Italian history, art history or archaeology. And besides that, the individual members of the academic staff have their own research projects."

Good investment
The NIR is government funded. But even in times when cutbacks are more common than extra subsidies, Professor Schwegman is convinced having an organisation based in Rome is money well spent. "It's very important to be on the spot. Especially since it involves art and archaeology and other tangible signs of the past that you can only study here. The past really forces itself upon you in Rome in a way that is unique." 

Professor Schwegman points out that another attractive aspect of Rome for students and scholars alike is its international community of artists and scientists. "At the American Academy here you can, for example, meet that admired American professor you've learned so much about through his books," she says. "You can really have international feedback which would be impossible in the Netherlands." 

And the opposite also applies; the Dutch Institute is open to students and scholars from other countries. "Everybody is welcome to our cultural activities," Professor Schwegman says. "Our library is open to everybody who wants to study."  This beautiful library, which still possesses a distinct 1930s atmosphere with its dark wooden bookcases, desks and green banker's lamps, contains a unique collection of 16th and 17th century travel journals in Dutch, Italian and Latin, written by Dutchmen who visited Italy.

War time closure
The 100-year history of the institute also has a couple of dark pages. During World War II when Italy chose the side of Nazi Germany, the Dutch Institute had to close its doors. The entire book collection was transferred to the institute of neutral Sweden, right next door. The Swedes turned out to be good neighbours, looking after the valuable collection, and returning every single volume after the war.