Since its creation in 1991 on the initiative of the late Attorney General Georges Demanet and Paul Dubrunfaut, the Groupe Patrimoine Armurier (GPA)- Werkgroep Wapen Patrimonium (WGWP) (Small Arms Heritage Group) of SRAMA-KVVL (Société Royale des Amis du Musée de l’Armée ASBL – Vrienden van het Koninklijk Museum van het Leger VZW – Royal Society of Friends of the Army Museum) has focused on bladed weapons (swords, sabres, daggers, etc.), ranged weapons (bows, crossbows, spears, etc.) and firearms, both civilian and military. In 2024, it is still chaired by Paul Dubrunfaut, Honorary Curator of the Small Arms Department at the War Heritage Institute (WHI)/Royal Army Museum.
Rightfully attached to this cultural and technical heritage in the broadest sense, made up of both private and public collections – those of the Royal Army Museum in Brussels and the WHI in particular – the Groupe Patrimoine Armurier- Werkgroep Wapen Patrimonium aims to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the development and role played by these weapons in the history of mankind, in a given socio-economic environment.
GPA-WGWP objectives
- To promote the SRAMA-KVVL, in particular through events organized by the GPA-WGWP.
- To contribute to the development, educational function and promotion of the sections of the Royal Army Museum relating to small arms, its Technical Room, its reserves and the latter’s restoration workshop in particular, and also, more broadly, to the development of related archives and documentation.
- To promote gunsmithing heritage in general, and organize or participate in a wide range of activities aimed at a variety of audiences, with a view to raising awareness, such as guided tours and exhibitions, trade fairs, professional days, etc.
- To publish, produce and distribute educational books or videos to inform the public about the collections, placing them in their historical context and highlighting their artistic or aesthetic qualities.
- To help interested parties (or those who have inherited weapons) find their way through the maze of legislation applicable to small arms and weapons, and to provide advice to collectors.
Are you Interested?
Anyone wishing to join us, whether to provide or receive information or to organize and take part in our meetings and activities, must first become a member of SRAMA-KVVL and pay the annual membership fee (€35 for Belgium) – see the ’Contact-Become a member’ section of this website.
Any interested party may, at their own request, be invited as a guest, for the first time, to meetings of SRAMA-KVVL’s Small Arms Heritage Group.
Contact: Secretary: Ms. Ariane Fradcourt – afradcourt@yahoo.com