Anton Schmidt has to make way for Leo de Weijs. For the naming of a new residential courtyard in Wildervank, the municipality of Veendam prefers the name of the natural stone trader rather than that of the textile giant.
The new courtyard at the harbor in the center of Wildervank will be called the ‘Leo de Weijshof’ after all. The city council thought this was more appropriate for the location. It is on the former business park of De Weijs Natuurstenen. More than twenty houses are being built.
The natural stone company was active for decades at the location between the harbor and the railway line. It was Leonardus Frederikus de Weijs (1912-1977) who set up the company, which employed more than a hundred people. It became a major international player in the market. The name therefore fits the location ‘even better’ than Schmidt’s, says the municipality. The German Schmidt set up a large industrial factory.