Hof der dingen - Bekaert - staaldraad

Flemish building culture is all about what we call kotjescultuur – the urge to claim your space. As Flemish people, we have this instinct to mark our territory in our peculiar little way, by putting up garden sheds here, a fence over there, … 

And when it comes to fences, there’s one type of fence that stands out: the Zwevegem Bekaert steel wire. It all started in 1880, when Leon Leander Bekaert – running his own hardware store – was trying to figure out a better way to fence in livestock. He came up with the idea of replacing the nails in barbed wire with crown-shaped pieces that were twisted between three strands of wire. Realising he had conceived something special and sensing the promise of the market opportunity for his innovative idea, he quickly patented his product. By 1894, he started his own wire factory. 

Under the leadership of his son Leon Antoine, the company grew into a global player in steel wire. This successful factory alone helped put the little rural town of Zwevegem on the map, drawing in new residents looking for work opportunities. 

Even through tough times, Bekaert kept going strong. During the war, they made sure the factory stayed open so that workers wouldn’t be sent off to German labor camps. 

In 2000, for the first time, a non-family member took over as the head of the board of directors: Count Paul Buysse. Over time, though, things got harder for Bekaert, leading to layoffs and the closure of multiple branches