Holiday apartment in Waalwijk: leather culture, cycling routes and nature

Waalwijk combines its history of leather and shoemaking with architecture, cycling routes and nature between Waalwijk and Waspik. The traces of regional leather and shoemaking range from exhibitions to a themed cycling route.

Leather, craftsmanship and buildings

The permanent exhibition “How It's Made” explains how leather and shoes are made using historical machinery and contemporary interactive elements.

In addition, “The Story Of The Langstraat” portrays life in a region traditionally known for leather and shoemaking through five main characters. The exhibitions thus bring together craftsmanship, leather and life in the region.

At the Schoenenkwartier, the permanent exhibition draws on a collection of more than 13,000 shoes and 7,000 objects. The institution also combines a shoe museum, a knowledge centre and a laboratory where visitors can learn, create and work innovatively.

The Huis van Waalwijk is a Rijksmonument in the centre of Waalwijk and was designed by architect Alexander Kropholler. Visitors can explore exhibitions, take part in workshops and attend events there; the building serves as a place for art, culture and encounters. The building combines its architecture with art, culture and encounters.

The Rondje Waalwijk-Centrum walk was designed around the Huis van Waalwijk, the Schoenenkwartier and the Sint Jan de Doperkerk.

The Sint Jan de Doperkerk is a neo-Byzantine church with 19 copper domes and a minaret-like bell tower.

Cycling routes with a regional theme

The Waalwijk Leather Route is a 30-kilometre cycling route about Waalwijk’s leather and shoemaking industry. It is signposted between numbered junctions.

Audio fragments explain what cyclists see along the way and convey the history, entrepreneurial spirit and innovative strength of the Langstraat.

The 30 kilometres provide the route with a fixed framework for planning a cycling trip.

From the Sint Jan de Doperkerk, four cycling routes lead north, east, south and west through the surrounding region; the routes are available as flyers. The four cycling routes are thus distributed across the four cardinal directions of the surrounding region.

Nature between Waalwijk and Waspik

The Het Hoefsven recreational area, also known colloquially as ’t Lido, is a nature and recreation area on the outskirts of Waalwijk near the Loonse en Drunense Duinen.

The Westelijke Langstraat nature area lies between Waalwijk and Waspik at the transition from sand to clay, known as the “Naad van Brabant”.

In the Westelijke Langstraat, the Vossenstreken children’s route offers games and educational content about nature and traditional crafts through an app along the way. The children’s route combines nature and traditional crafts with games and educational content.

At the Winterdijk in the Westelijke Langstraat, there is a rest area with a small car park and an information board about the area’s nature and history.

For further regional orientation: Waspik, Sprang-Capelle.

For the overview of the wider destination: Waalwijk.