Because of the presence of clay as raw material and the very qualitative work of stone makers who worked here for centuries with the Rupelian or the Boom clay, the Rupelstreek has acquired its reputation. Apart from the brick, also roofing tiles and floor tiles were produced. The material has always been there, but the men who worked with the material are the most important. So they made a remarkable piece of history.
Paul De Niel, curator of “Ecomuseum & Archief van de Boomse Baksteen” (E.M.A.B.B. - Ecological Museum and Archives of the Brick of Boom), is also known as the walking encyclopedia of the Rupelstreek. He has a number of interesting studies on his name, like “De Baksteen” (the brick), “de Boomse pan” (the tile of Boom), “Glasfabriek De Rupel” (glass factory De Rupel, written together with Ivo Siebens), “Kinderarbeid in de Rupelstreek” (children at work in the Rupelstreek) and “Ten oever aan de Rupel” (at the banks of the Rupel). The rest of this text consists of different pieces out of the original work of Paul De Niel.
The panorama of the Rupelstreek is one you can never forget. This is due to the modeling of this piece of ground during centuries of clay extraction and tile manufacturing. Along the right bank of the river the Rupel, less than half an hour drive from Brussels or Antwerp, the living and working of several generations of stone makers shaped an unique industrial landscape.
A lot of effort is done to preserve the valuable archeological elements of the landscape as cultural inheritance. These efforts are maintained today and can be seen in the beautiful museums.
