HISTORY

FROM PASSION TO MUSEUM

Antoon Hendriks is at the base of our unique collection. This shoemaker and teacher of shoe making (upper work) at the Industrial School for Waalwijk and Surroundings has been a passionate collector since the 1930s. During the SLEM (Shoe, Leather and Fashion) exhibition in 1953, Hendriks shows his collection to the general public for the first time. Visitors responded enthusiastically to his collection, which included historical footwear from all over the world. The idea for a museum was born.

A number of shoe manufacturers from the region then took the initiative to establish the shoe museum. Thus, the public can permanently enjoy Hendriks' collection. In 1954, the museum opens in a tiny building on the Kloosterwerf in Waalwijk. The name: Stichting Oudheidkundig Museum voor de Schoen- en Lederindustrie. Quite a mouthful. Only a few visitors could enter at a time; with larger groups, the rest had to wait outside for their turn.

Things are different these days. Today's Shoe Quarter is an interactive museum full of stories and adventures, with no fewer than 20,000 objects. Shoes, of course - which you sometimes get to put on - but also heritage from the manufacturing industry. However, the Shoe Quarter is much more. For example, it is a shoe lab where designers and fashion students invent and make new shoes and you can give your creativity free rein in workshops. The Schoenenkwartier is also the Knowledge Center on the history of the shoe and related materials and techniques.

And all in the Kropholler Complex. An award-winning building; named Public Building of the Year in 2023 and nominated European Museum of the Year in 2024.

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