About halfway through the Herisem walk of Beersel, you find the Herisem paper mill, lending its name to the walk. This tiny yet significant grouping of buildings has been occupied at least since the 8th century, at which time a Franconian farm stood at the location. The name Herisem can be traced back to Harja-heim, settling place of Harja.
Since the 14th century, a water mill was installed, and production of paper began in 1536. The site is the main remnant of the Alsemberg paper industry which once had 15 paper mills producing along the Molenbeek (“Mill Brook”). The mill developed in the following centuries. In 1763, Gillis Winderickx married the daughter of the owner and took over the mill. He set the site on a successful path to growth. During the 19th century, production of paper was no longer possible due to pollution of the brook, and the mill switched to cardboard.
In 1848, crisis struck but ten years later, the mill recovered to a last golden age, which was interrupted by WW-I. During WW-II, the machines were mothballed with the aim of restarting production after the war, but this never happened. The combined effects of 2 world wars and a world crisis in-between meant the end of 4 centuries of industrial activity.
The site remained dormant until it was classified as a historic monument in 1979, upon which it began a new life as a museum, conference centre, celebration room, tavern and hostel.
Today, the mill can be visited. The machine par from the 19th century is still operational, though it no longer produces. It’s pretty remarkable to find this site during the Herisem walk, and learn that it actually has over a 1,000 years of history.
According its the website, Herisem is 15 minutes drive from the centre of Brussels. Except on a quiet Sunday morning, you’d probably need a bit more time. But this quiet place, in the deep Belgian country side, remains just 15 km outside Brussels.
