7x Heritage sites in North Brabant reinvented
From a former factory into a creative hotspot, and from a warehouse into a vibrant meeting place: industrial heritage gets an extraordinary second life in North Brabant. Where machines once whirred, you will now find museums, restaurants, art studios and cultural venues, all housed in impressive former factory halls and warehouses.
And it is this mix of history and contemporary entertainment that makes North Brabant such an amazing place to visit. You discover the stories of the locations while viewing art, enjoying delicious food or shopping for creations by local makers. That makes it perfect for a day out. And with an overnight stay in a former factory or a cycling trip through the surrounding area, it’s also ideal for a weekend break.
1. LocHal, Tilburg
From a former locomotive workshop into a creative hotspot in the centre of Tilburg. Built in 1932 to repair locomotives, the LocHal is now a library, exhibition space and creative breeding ground full of thematic labs and workshops. Dive into the GameLab to play retro games, experiment in the DigiLab or discover the city and the future in the TijdLab. With its steel construction and impressive staircases, even the hall itself is worth a visit.
Afterwards, hang around for a while in the Spoorzone. In this former Dutch Railways workshop, you will find a creative mix of urban sports, music and culture at the Hall of Fame. Get a coffee afterwards in a converted train carriage at Stoom013 or grab a table at Eetbar De Wagon, where you can dine in a historic carriage from 1900. In this small patch of Tilburg, you discover how industrial railway heritage has been given a new lease of life.
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LocHal
LocHal
LocHal, the cultural hotspot in Tilburg, combines industrial heritage with modern functions in an award-winning building. This library, which connects young and old, enables you to enjoy inspiring activities, delicious coffee and beautiful architecture.
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TextielMuseum
TextielMuseum
The combination of the extremely varied exhibitions and the accessible activities at the TextielLab make the Tilburg TextielMuseum a versatile and unique museum.
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Gourmet Market Central Station
Gourmet Market Central Station
Located right in Tilburg railway station, you’ll find just about every world cuisine you can think of, from oysters and champagne to Coca Cola and fries – it’s all here. Also aimed at international visitors, you will find sixteen unique food concepts under one and the same roof.
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Eetbar de Wagon
Eetbar de Wagon
Eetbar de Wagon in the Spoorzone, Tilburg: dine in a train carriage from the previous century and enjoy traditional dishes and Brabant hospitality. Perfect for lunch, dinner or drinks in a unique, atmospheric setting!
2. Noordkade, Veghel
From a factory site into food, culture and adventure. The CHV industrial site was once home to Europe’s largest animal-feed factory. The imposing silos and industrial character have been preserved but given a completely new purpose.
In The Chocolate Factory, a factory tower standing over 30 metres tall, you can discover how chocolate travels through the factory. You start on the tenth floor and work your way down. On the way, you operate enormous machines, take on missions and collect points with your team. You can design your own ‘foodbar’ and your own pack of traditional Dutch ‘hagelslag’ at the end to take home. With VR glasses and touchscreens, you see, hear and feel how chocolate is made.
There is also plenty more to do at Noordkade. Go to the cinema or theatre, take part in a workshop or enjoy a delicious meal. Wander around the site, have an ice cream or sit on a terrace. There is enough to keep you entertained for an entire afternoon or evening out.
‘It’s a great outing for families with children, groups of friends or work colleagues. Here, you don’t just look; you get involved. It’s educational and accessible for wheelchair users.’
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Noordkade Veghel
Noordkade Veghel
A century ago, Veghel grew into one of the most significant food hubs in the Netherlands, centrally located between ’s-Hertogenbosch and Eindhoven. This industrial heritage has since been transformed into the ultimate location for a more than pleasurable outing for everyone.
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Noordkade Uitjes
Noordkade Uitjes
Noordkade Uitjes in Veghel offers a wide variety of activities and options, perfectly suited to the lively history of this industrial heritage.
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Hotel The Yard
Hotel The Yard
Hotel The Yard is near Veghel’s visitor’s harbour. Stay overnight in a distinctive boutique hotel, enjoy culinary surprises at Restaurant Koopvaart and discover North Brabant’s countryside, culture and its hospitality from one home base.
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The Chocolate Factory
The Chocolate Factory
The Chocolate Factory is a chocolate-lovers’ paradise! Descend from the 10th floor, operate the machines and design your own packet of chocolate sprinkles. This interactive and tasty attraction combines technology with chocolate. Perfect for the whole family!
3. Strijp-S, Eindhoven
Where Philips once developed and produced radios, televisions and other technical innovations, there is now a vibrant creative hotspot. For decades, Strijp-S in Eindhoven was a closed-off factory site, accessible only to Philips staff. Today, the listed factory halls are filled with designers and other creative makers, restaurants and cafés, and unique shops. More than 100 entrepreneurs from the creative industry work in the Klokgebouw alone.
Explore the former factory buildings, pop into Urban Shopper, with its small shops full of vintage finds, design, homeware and fashion, or try a local beer at Brouwerij het Veem. This is also the place to be for films, exhibitions, urban sports and other cultural activities. The rugged industrial backdrop makes a day at Strijp-S just as appealing as what happens inside the buildings themselves.
Strijp-S is not the only place in the city where the industrial past and new functions come together. Strijp-R is close by. Here, you will find Piet Hein Eek’s workplace, shop, hotel and restaurant, housed in a former Philips building. The Kanaalzone is also worth a visit, with the NRE site and De Caai, where former factory and energy buildings have been given a new purpose.
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Piet Hein Eek
Piet Hein Eek
It’s not only during the Dutch Design Week that Piet Hein Eek’s shop, showroom, gallery, restaurant and theatre in Eindhoven is an absolute must for design enthusiasts, good food and surprising theatre.
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Hotel Mariënhage
Hotel Mariënhage
Enjoy luxury and design in the four-star Boutique Hotel Mariënhage, a former monastery in the heart of Eindhoven. Relax in the garden, savour top-class dinners and explore the city around the corner. A unique mix of quiet, history and modern comfort!
4. Haveneiland, Breda (Pier15 & Stek)
From an industrial site into an urban hotspot. Breda is known for its historic city centre, warm and hospitable atmosphere and creative character, but there’s also plenty going on on the outskirts of the city centre. At the tip of the former harbour site on the River Mark, you will find Pier15, a large skatepark with murals, performances and a sunny terrace. Stek is right next door, a creative breeding ground where entrepreneurs, makers and visitors come together in workshops, at markets and at events. Once again, Breda shows that it is more than listed buildings and pleasant terraces. Here, a former industrial site is given new energy.
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Stedelijk Museum Breda
Stedelijk Museum Breda
Get to know the intriguing family history of the Orange-Nassaus and discover the art in and outside of the city, by and for Breda. Stedelijk Museum Breda: a surprising city museum in Breda’s city centre, a home base for residents and an operating base for visitors.
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BAAI Breda
BAAI Breda
There is a beautiful terrace alongside the water at the location where the Mark river enters Breda. BAAI is the place to enjoy delicious wines and many various Breda beers. But what is most striking is how you immediately experience that wonderful holiday feeling here.
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Hotel Nassau Breda, Autograph Collection
Hotel Nassau Breda, Autograph Collection
Located in an originally extensive complex of national monuments, and in one of the oldest streets in Breda, Hotel Nassau Breda, Autograph Collection, by Marriott offers a truly unique hotel experience.
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Blind Walls Gallery
Blind Walls Gallery
Blind Walls Gallery changes the appearance of Breda through impressive and meaningful murals inspired by local heritage and stories. Discover the murals via the website, mobile app or during a guided tour with an experienced guide.
5. Tramkade, 's-Hertogenbosch
You may know ’s-Hertogenbosch from its historic city centre, the Binnendieze underground waterway and lovely terraces, but the city reveals a whole new side to itself just outside the city centre. Tramkade was home to the De Heus’s compound-feed mill until 2014. Today, the former factory, dating from 1909, the silos and the warehouses form the backdrop for creative entrepreneurs, restaurants and cafés, art and events, making it a lively place with plenty to see and do. Take a look inside the Work Warehouse design lab, discover social design at Social Label or enjoy a local beer surrounded by industrial heritage, while you see all around you how the former factory halls and silos have been given a new lease of life.
‘Get on an electric boat at the Tramkade and discover ’s-Hertogenbosch from the water. If you’d like to stay a bit longer, spend the night in the Bossche Kraan, a former harbour crane converted into a unique hotel room high above the River Dieze.’
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Tramkade
Tramkade
The Tramkade reveals a raw side of ’s-Hertogenbosch.
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Het Noordbrabants Museum
Het Noordbrabants Museum
The Noordbrabants Museum is housed in an eighteenth century governmental palace in the centre of the medieval town of ’s-Hertogenbosch and is therefore perfect to combine with a visit to Brabant’s capital.
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Design Museum Den Bosch
Design Museum Den Bosch
Design Museum Den Bosch presents stimulating and refreshing exhibitions of design from the past, present and future.
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The Binnendieze
The Binnendieze
Imagine you are in the Middle Ages in a whisper boat under the capital of Brabant! The historic route of the DagjeDenBosch (Day Out in s’-Hertogenbosch) takes you back in time to when ‘s-Hertogenbosch was a bustling centre of trade and art.
6. Cacaofabriek, Helmond
Helmond is in the south-east of Brabant, close to Eindhoven, and known for its industrial past, creative maker culture and distinctive castle. This medieval castle has stood in the heart of the city for almost 700 years and today serves as a museum. Along the canal, you will also find the Vlisco textile factory, where the dyeing machines are still operational. From 1894 to 1932, the world-famous Helm chocolate was produced in the Cacaofabriek. After a fire and years of redevelopment, this building has been a thriving cultural centre since 2014, with exhibitions, cinemas and a music venue. And best of all, chocolate is once again being made at the Chocola De Cacaofabriek chocolate shop, in a nod to the building’s past.
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De Cacaofabriek
De Cacaofabriek
Do you have a penchant for culture? Then you can't ignore De Cacaofabriek in Helmond! Good movies, good food and concerts to remember.
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Museum Helmond
Museum Helmond
The fourteenth century Helmond Castle and the modern Kunsthal (art gallery) provide Museum Helmond with two unique and very different museum locations. Both are conveniently located in the centre of the town.
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Kasteel Helmond (Helmond Castle)
Kasteel Helmond (Helmond Castle)
The castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands. Lodewijk (Louis) Berthout van Berlaer, Lord of Helmond, probably started building it between 1325 and 1350.
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Stadsbrouwerij De Deftige Aap
Stadsbrouwerij De Deftige Aap
In Helmond's oldest building, dating from 1550, you are welcome seven days a week for lunch, dinner and drinks. And don't forget to taste the ten different beers that flow from the tap.
7. De KVL fabriek, Oisterwijk
From Europe’s largest leather factory into a creative hotspot. In 1916, Christ van der Aa established a leather factory here, which later grew into Koninklijke Verenigde Lederfabriek (KVL). After it closed in 2000, the site gained a new purpose. Today, as you wander among the former factory halls, you’ll come across restaurants, coffee bars, a hotel and a residential complex, where living, working and leisure come together.
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De Leerfabriek
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EKWC
EKWC
Artist-in-residence and research centre EKWC in Oisterwijk is the world’s most well-known knowledge and development centre for ceramics.
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bij Robèrt
bij Robèrt
Robèrt van Beckhoven and his team allow you to experience all of the facets of the baker’s craft. See, smell, taste, learn and enjoy!
