The Forge

In the Smederij you will find brewery Adept by Dimitri Staelens, the breakfast bar by Jana Stessel and meeting rooms for companies or workshops by Tweeperenboom. They also have a pop-up location for local artisans.

The location is the old workshop of the blacksmith, who made, among other things, the cross on the church in Winksele. The studio was not only the workspace of the blacksmith Schoeters, it was also a meeting place where neighbors spontaneously dropped in for a chat and a drink. The idea and name of De Smederij resulted from this. When the building was suddenly offered for sale in 2015, some local entrepreneurs put their heads together. In 2017 Dimitri Staelens (brewery Adept), Jana Stessel (Eetbar De Smederij) and Nele Smets (Tweeperenboom) founded the entrepreneurial cooperative De Smederij together. With De Smederij they want to create an inspiring place in the village where people from different generations and target groups can meet each other. De Smederij wants to stimulate and inspire visitors in an accessible way and hope to reach a large group of people who come into contact with themselves, with others and with local products.

On Thursday evening, De Smederij is also a pick-up point for the Buurderij.

Herent - Faire Gemeente