New walk-in Waalhalla: a place for meeting and participation

A new hands-on meeting place, Waalhalla, has opened on Hertog Janstraat in Waalwijk. Residents can simply walk in without a referral if they feel the need for contact or want to clear their minds by working with their hands. They can get to work in the creative space, sewing studio, kitchen, or woodworking workshop, help with tasks around the building, and soon also visit the bike repair shop.

According to alderman Sjors Slaats, the new walk-in facility perfectly illustrates the municipality’s goals in the social domain.

“Waalhalla is exactly what we mean by Together Resilient,” says Slaats. “It’s a place where residents meet, help each other, and take steps toward participating in society. Not everything has to be care right away. Sometimes it just starts with a place where you feel welcome.”

Waalhalla emerged after Blijmakers BV ceased offering non-indicated day activities at this location at the end of 2025. To prevent visitors from losing their meeting place, the municipality decided to organize its own low-threshold walk-in facility.

Since the beginning of this year, residents have been able to meet there, participate in activities together, or take steps toward participating in society.

Name chosen by participants

The name of the new place was selected by the people who use it. After a vote, two names remained. The group ultimately chose Waalhalla, with the slogan: Do what you enjoy!

The name comes from Frens van der Bijl, a volunteer at Waalhalla. He refers to Valhalla from Norse mythology, a place people are happy to go to.

“The Vikings were tough warriors,” Frens explains. “I thought that suited this place well. And it’s pretty cool to take the step to come here.” Including WAAL in the name also makes it feel like a place that truly belongs to Waalwijk.

Built together

Over the past few months, hard work has gone into turning the location into a pleasant meeting place. Désire van Veldhoven played a key role in this. Together with social activation coaches, volunteers, and participants, she gradually built the new walk-in space.

This approach is part of the Together Resilient program, in which the municipality focuses on more prevention, meeting opportunities, and support close to residents.

The initiators hope that more and more residents will find their way to Waalhalla. The team is working with participants to develop new activities and meetings.

Waalhalla
Do what you enjoy!

Hertog Janstraat 55
5141 KJ Waalwijk
Phone: 06 41097877
Email: dvanveldhoven@waalwijk.nl

Opening hours:
Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

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