The company De Poort

De Poort is a countryside workshop, located in the most beautiful village of Gelrode, in the middle of the Flemish country. It is run by Geert Smet and his wife Erika Muls. Other co operators are Mr. John Smet and Mr. Marc Wellens.

The first indications of cartwrighting in the family date from the late 16^th century. The company even possesses tools dating from that time! It can nevertheless be suspected that the family was even earlier working in that area as the family name would suggest. Anyway a continuous history of cartwrighting can be established from that time till now on…

At its heyday the company employed about 50 workers, having its own sawing mill and early industrial equipment. It can even be said that the company had a large influence in the development of specialised machinery for making wheels and carts, therefore working closely together with one of the best machinery factories in Europe, which itself grew out of a cartwright’s shop. It even started in automobile construction, making buses, fireman’s trucks or even limousines…

Today however it is a modest shop, no more competing in the industrial world, however another branch of it is still busy in automobile construction. The most important goal of this department is to preserve the basic skills of the making of carts and wagons and promote them. Therefore education, historical research and art are as much of our interest as building them. That is why we work so much together with museums. The owner even got a university degree in history in order to do so.