The Schoenenkwartier Museum is a new and innovative knowledge centre for shoe design, shoe production and shoe fashion in the centre of Waalwijk, the Dutch leather and shoe city. It is housed in a listed building complex from the 1930s, by architect Alexander Kropholler, which has been partly renovated, transformed and expanded. 

The buildings now house a collection of 12,000 objects, several permanent exhibitions, a knowledge centre with research library, workshop space and auditorium, museum café and laboratories for design and prototyping. Both the planning and design of the building and its interior map out a new inspiring future for the industry, the city and the community, built on the values of the past.

Historic craftsmanship as a new connector
Waalwijk is a typical small European city that became big through the industrial development of a local craft, but at the same time is struggling with its future. Leather processing and shoe manufacture formed the culture, economy and pride of the region “de Langstraat” as an international player, but leather and shoe production have now disappeared.

However, there are still areas of large and small shoe brands and the Shoe and Leather Museum, founded in 1954. The building is a combination of a museum and an innovation centre, interwoven into one living entity. A research library is located between the exhibition rooms, there are several innovation and design labs for education and artists in residence, and various possibilities for conferences and company presentations. 

The Shoe Museum has brought regional shoe craftsmanship back to where it started, the city is once again becoming an (inter)national destination for experts and innovators, and the cultural history of the local community is shown and enhanced. The collection is the endless source of inspiration in all this.