Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek
📍 Ede, The Netherlands
🏭 Category: Industrial / Textile Factory
📅 Facts
- Built: 1922
- Abandoned: 2002
- Visited: 2007
- Demolished: 2008
🏚️ Story
Tucked away behind a grand archway that once welcomed thousands of workers stood the ENKA factory in Ede — one of the Netherlands’ most iconic rayon production facilities. A powerhouse of the 20th-century textile industry, ENKA played a major role in Dutch industrial history.
By the time I visited in 2007, the complex had already been silent for five years. The main gate, proudly bearing the ENKA name, still stood tall — a stoic reminder of its past. Inside, dusty machinery sat frozen in time, and long hallways echoed with forgotten footsteps.
The entire site was demolished just a year later in 2008. However, a few key buildings — including the iconic entrance gate — were preserved and have since been repurposed, allowing a small piece of ENKA's industrial legacy to live on.
