www.mtsunset.ac.zw Portal
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Feb. 9, 2026, 3:15 p.m.
Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk, Netherlands
Shoes are everywhere, yet most people never think about how they are made. In the Dutch town of Waalwijk, where the Dutch shoe and leather industry originates, the Schoenenkwartier slows that process down and shows what usually stays out of sight.
Inside, the shoe-making process is laid out step by step. Old factory machines are still there, the kind once used every day to cut leather, stitch uppers, press soles, and shape shoes for mass production.
Seeing them up close makes it clear how much work, precision, and repetition went into something as ordinary as a pair of shoes. What stands out is how the past connects naturally to the present.
Inside, the shoe-making process is laid out step by step. Old factory machines are still there, the kind once used every day to cut leather, stitch uppers, press soles, and shape shoes for mass production.
Seeing them up close makes it clear how much work, precision, and repetition went into something as ordinary as a pair of shoes. What stands out is how the past connects naturally to the present.
Related
