Papiermolen Herisem

About the museum

The Herisem mill in Alsemberg grew out of a sixteenth-century paper mill. From 1853 the mill gradually switched to producing cardboard, so that traditional papermaking grew into an industry. In 1940 the cardboard factory closed its doors, and since then the machines have remained almost untouched. The Winderickx family, who acquired the mill in 1763, still manages the site.

The complex includes the original paper mill, the cardboard factory, a farm with a grain mill and a central residence with the former office, set amid sixteen hectares of meadows, fields and woodland in the valley of the Molenbeek. The buildings and landscape are protected. The water wheels and the restored Bollinckx steam engine now drive the nineteenth-century machines again.

In 1991 the site was recognised by the European Commission as a model project for the preservation of architectural heritage. In 2000 Herisem received the monument conservation prize, and in 2018 the Toerisme Award for Heritage Tourism from the province of Flemish Brabant. You discover the site with video screens or with a guide.

Highlights

• Machines of the cardboard factory standing as they did when it closed in 1940
• Water wheels and restored Bollinckx steam engine
• Steam days with the steam engine in motion (June and November)
• Tour with video screens or with a guide
• Educational programmes with papermaking for schools

Permanent exhibition

• Rondgang door de papiermolen en kartonfabriek – You follow how artisanal papermaking grew into an industry, with the machines of the first mechanical cardboard production in their original location.

Operated by

vzw OMV Herisem

Admission & discounts

Groups under the guidance of a guide must book in advance.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The first floor is wheelchair-friendly; the stairs in the mill building are not accessible to wheelchair users.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

The site is marked as child-friendly. Schools can book programmes with a guided tour, papermaking and a visit to the farm. On Saturday afternoons in January, February, March and from October to December there are birthday parties for groups of 12 to 20 children, with a play meadow and picnic tables.

Getting there & parking

The mill lies in the Molenbeek valley, Fabriekstraat 20 in Alsemberg (Beersel).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

You can hire the rooms Pakhuis, Lompenzolder, Stookketel and HerisemArt for events, parties, meetings and seminars, or rent the entire nineteenth-century complex. There is also youth accommodation for groups.

Plan your visit