Want to know more about leather? Then visit the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk, walk the route Wet Blue in Waalwijk or bike the leather route. And also take a look at the many beautiful leather products made in small workshops.
Waalwijk: center of leather
Four benches with their own story
Waalwijk has a rich shoe and leather history. Four benches in the city center have therefore been given a new look. Each bench is decorated with a piece of leather in which quotes in dialect are engraved. Designers Juul Dijkmeijer and Amy Vorsselmans took on this project together with various parties from Waalwijk.
To give each bank its own story, they went in search of typical quotes, sayings and fun facts that have something to do with the city's history. To do this, they contacted the people of Waalwijk themselves through various platforms. The quotes were translated by the Stichting Langstraats in Woord en Beeld and the final production was done by Alphenberg Leather. It has become a design by and for the people of Waalwijk.
This project was created in cooperation with the Municipality of Waalwijk.
It smells like glue and lèèr here
It smells like glue and leather here
The city used to smell like glue and leather because of all the industry. The smell is typical of the leather industry.
Shoemaker, stick to oewe leêst!
Shoemaker, stick to your last!
This is what one says to someone who passes judgment on something he doesn't know about.
Put on your daring shoes and sit down
Put on your daring shoes and sit down
Saying or doing something that took courage to do.
Gôi gin aauw schoén weg vurdè ge nieuw het
Don't throw away old shoes before you have new ones
One should not sacrifice a secure existence to a venture whose outcome is still uncertain.
