Reinout van der Bijl

Reinout Alfons van der Bijl (May 7, 1918 - February 22, 2001) was a Brunanter historian and archaeologist, best known for his restore works in various castles. Van der Bijl wrote several history books, many of which are used in the universities today. He served as the Curator of the State Museum from 1977 until 1981 and in 1985 he received the Medal for Arts and Letters.

Early years
Van der Bijl was born in Sint-Anders. His father, Gerlof, was a teacher, while his mother, Irena, was working in her brother's grocery. He was the second of three children, as he had two more sisters (Annemarie, 1916-1996; Felicia, 1921-1998). Gerlof passed his love for history to his son. Reinout often recalled his father narrating stories of the Brunanter history, as well as ancient Greek and Roman myths.

In 1936, van der Bijl was sent to study archaeology in Grijzestad University and he finished his studies in 1941, just before the German invasion. During the occupation, he hide some Jews in his home, but he never became an active member of Underground Revolution. With the end of the war, van der Bijl studied history in the Royal University of Koningstad and in 1950 got a job as a teacher in Grunbeck.

Restore projects and excavations
The first time, Reinout was involved to archaeology was in 1952. He worked with a experienced team in 1955, renovating Vandijk Castle, which would become a museum two years later. In late '50s, he was involved in the restoration of the Byzantine Temple of Niesburg and at the same time, he was working on his first book, The Arabian Heritage of Brunant.

From 1966 until 1970, van der Bijl participated in the restoration of Brezonde Castle, which increased his reputation among the academics. In 1972, van der Bijl was hired to renovate the Gatix Castle, but the project didn't even start. Now considered an important archaeologist, he was appointed Curator of the State Museum in 1977. Reinout managed to bring in Brunant many ancient coins, all of them now in Currency Hall. However, his commitments didn't let him focus on active archaeology, so he resigned in 1981.

In the period 1982-1983, he lead minor excavations at Zatram, where he came up with insignificant findings. His overall efforts were acknowledgedby the state in 1985, when he received the Medal for Arts and Letters by Marten II. In 1989 he co-operated with American archaeologists, leading an excavation around Villa Fulvia; he found some ancien objects, many of which are now in State Museum. In 1994, van der Bijl intended to start a excavations in each of the Seven Cities, but financial difficulties canceled the project.

Final years
Despite being a healthy man throughout his life, van der Bijl's health his health deteriorated during the late '90s. He checked into a hospital for an aortic dissection in January 2001. The very next month he suffered a stroke, thus ending his life.