There is a characteristic listed building by Gerrit Rietveld on the outskirts of Bergeijk, weaving mill De Ploeg. Exhibition material has been manufactured inside the mill since the beginning of the year. The factory has been adapted accordingly, respecting its open halls. The timing couldn’t have been better. The new life of weaving mill De Ploeg started in Bergeijk on the first day of the year in which the Netherlands is celebrating in big style the founding of De Stijl. The factory building’s creator is the architect Gerrit Rietveld, one of the most famous members of the avant-garde artistic movement De Stijl.

It was possible to convert De Ploeg within a period of 18 months, thanks to the new owner’s drive and the support of – amongst others – the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed [Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands]. As is often the case with industrial buildings, many small and bigger modifications were done after its opening in 1958. However, these did not affect the building’s special value in terms of cultural heritage, therefore allowing De Ploeg to become a listed building in 2010. By that time, the building had not been in use for three years. After some failed attempts to find a new owner, Bruns BV became the factory’s enthusiastic owner in 2015.

Read the full article in Een utopisch experiment van weldadigheid by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed