Izegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Izegem will be celebrating its volunteer group called the “Steam Friends” as part of a year-long celebration to commemorate the 125 years since steam and electricity have powered Izegem’s industries and community. This will culminate in an event on Sunday, 13 September 2026 at the Museum Stoom en Stroom, where the city, its heritage volunteers, and the region’s experts will be recognizing the machines, skills, and history behind Izegem’s industrial legacy.
What is being celebrated in Izegem this September?
At the heart of the event is the “125 jaar Stoom & Stroom” (125 Years of Steam & Electricity) project, which was initiated on Open Monumentendag, marking the start of a year-long festival. The project was organized in collaboration between Stad Izegem and the Stoomvrienden (Steam Friends), in partnership with the regional heritage agency erfgoedcel Midwest. The idea behind this project is to get citizens and tourists into touch with the history of the town via its industry, through visits to museums, lectures, walking tours, and other festive events.
As the official event description puts it,
“125 jaar stoom in Izegem, dat moet gevierd worden.”
That line captures the underlying stance: this is not merely a technical anniversary but a communal milestone that deserves public celebration, especially in a town where steam engines once drove the local economy and shaped everyday life.
Where and when will the main events take place?
The main public day is scheduled for Sunday, 13 September 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00, at Museum Stoom en Stroom, located at Prins Albertlaan 3, 8870 Izegem. The program offers a free visit (“vrij bezoek”) to industrial heritage sites, while access to the museum’s specific activities requires prior reservation. Contact details listed for the event include the email eperondor@izegem.be and phone number +32 51 31 64 46, linking the celebration to the broader Eperon d’Or museum complex that grew out of Izegem’s former shoe and brush industries.
The activities planned for the visitors during the day include a range of educational and entertaining activities. These include talks, thematic walks around steam and electricity, a festive feast for all those involved, a pop-up bar, and animation all around. There will be another modern day addition to this historic theme in the form of a group of steampunks referred to as “divisie prettig gestoorde steampunkers”. The fireworks show for this year’s Izegem funfair has been made even more significant by the theme of steam and electricity.
What makes Izegem’s steam heritage unique in Belgium?
A part of Izegem’s uniqueness is connected with the scale and state of the machinery preserved. It was noted by local media that the museum complex houses “de grootst bewaarde stoommachine van het land” (the largest preserved steam engine in the country), which makes the 125-year anniversary even more symbolic. This machine, together with the other exhibits from the shoe and brush industries, becomes proof that Izegem was not only an important place for manufacturing but also a place where steam technology has been developed earlier than the electricity was used.
In its architecture, the museum complex itself speaks of Izegem’s history. The shoe factory building is dated back to 1863 (later called Eperon d’Or), an Art Deco administrative facade was built here in 1930, and finally, the complex opened its doors for visitors as a museum in 2017. Here, the activities of the Steam Friends become a link between the 19th-century mechanization and 20th-century electrification, which makes the “125 jaar Stoom & Stroom” theme quite suitable for this place.
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