boilerij

Boilerij is a Dutch noun meaning a workshop, factory, or shop specializing in boilers and related heating equipment. The term is formed from ketel, meaning boiler, plus the suffix -ij, which forms a place-name indicating activities associated with the root word. In historical contexts boilerijen were common in industrial districts, shipyards, and metalworking areas, where steam boilers, hot-water boilers, burners, pipes, and controls were manufactured, repaired, or maintained.

In modern Dutch, boilerij is rarely used in everyday language. Contemporary terms such as ketelbedrijf, installatiebedrijf, loodgietersbedrijf, or verwarmingsinstallateur are more common for businesses that install, repair, or sell boilers. The notion persists in historical writing and in the naming of older industrial facilities or neighborhoods.

The role of boilerijen declined as boiler production consolidated into larger engineering firms and as heating technology evolved toward modular, standardized equipment and multinational suppliers. See also Ketel, Verwarmingsinstallatie, Installatiebedrijf, Stookinstallatie.