Textile industry

Flannel sheets, cotton pyjamas and shirts from textile company De Porre flew to all corners of the world, ending up in chic boutiques because De Porre guaranteed high quality cotton.

The Dender River takes you from an industrial landscape in Aalst full of textile mills, malthouses and silos to a green oasis dominated by drawbridges and locks.

The Industrial Revolution is not only the story of coal and steel, but also of the mechanization of the textile industry. In 1779, the English inventor Samuel Crompton built the Mule Jenny, a semi-automatic machine which spun yarn.

Of the eight flax mills that Heule once had, only Preetjesmolen remains. This flax winding mill was built between 1859 and 1870 on behalf of farmer Ivo Deprez, hence the name Preetjesmolen ("Deprez' Mill").

In addition to the sun, sea and beach, the Italian coastal town of Amalfi also has industrial ruins in store.