Clogs are one of the best known stereotypical images of Holland, seen everywhere from gift shops to window displays and traditional festivals.
A few people still wear clogs although the trend today is for a lighter weight version. You can even get slippers designed in the style of clogs. Holland’s tourist shops are full of gifts bearing their distinctive image.
But why do the Dutch wear clogs? It’s a question that has been puzzling me since I returned from my trip to the Netherlands.
It seems amazing that I didn’t know the answer when a Facebook friend asked me that very question. A little homework was clearly in order… so here’s my guide to Dutch clogs.
A Brief History of Clogs
One of the best places to start discovering the history of clogs is at the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen where Dutch history is brought to life.
The first fact thing I learned is that clogs are naturally water resistant which enabled residents of the watery Netherlands to move across sodden and wetlands more easily.
The Dutch have worn wooden shoes– also known as klompen – since the 13th Century.Today you’re more likely to find them in a gift show or museum case.
Wooden shoes grew in popularity from the 16th Century onwards. Made from a single piece of wood, they protected the feet of agricultural workers and their sturdy nature meant that they helped guard against injury. A kind of early pair of safety shoes.
They were both practical and relatively cheap. Even today they remain popular with farmers and agricultural workers in some rural areas of Holland, although you’re unlikely to see city folk wearing them except for gardening.
Historically, clogs were primarily worn by working people and the poor who couldn’t afford leather footwear. These one-piece shoes were cheap to make, sturdy and pretty indestructible. Perfect for farmers and fishermen.
They were associated with the peasantry and were not worn by the aristocracy or well-heeled middle classes until centuries later.
By the 19th Century, fancy clogs became a bit of a thing with some being decorated with a variety of patterns and designs.
They became something of a fashion item in the 1960s and 1970s when clogs became associated with hippie culture. They were a symbol of the counter-culture and were associated with a sense of freedom.
I remember my Gran buying me a pair of clogs when she came back from her holidays in Holland in the 1970s. They were fantastically uncomfortable. The only times I wore them was in the house of sitting out in the garden.
Eventually I stuffed them in the back of my wardrobe and replaced them with an equally uncomfortable pair of fashionable platform shoes!
Photographs – Traditional Dutch costumes and historic children’s clogs at the Zuiderzee Museum.
Clog fans claim that they’re great in all weathers – warm in winter and cool in summer. They argue that the wood absorbs sweat, allowing your feet to breathe compared with tight, modern shoes. But I’m still to be convinced.
I found them heavy and cumbersome to walk around in – and they hurt my delicate feet. Perhaps I need to try a lighter weight design, if there is such a thing?
During my visit to the Zuiderzee Museum, I tried on a pair but they were every bit as uncomfortable as I remember all those years back. I could barely walk a few metres in them.
I have a high instep so the clogs kept falling off at the back – and rubbed badly on the top of my foot. It was a relief when I put my own shoes back on. But perhaps I’m wearing clogs all wrong?
Photograph – Historic clogs at the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen.
The Art of Clog Making
Clog making is a real art. Once made by hand, they were crafted from a single piece of wood, generally poplar or willow. These woods are made up of around 60% water which is needed for the clogs to function properly.
The production of clogs has changed over the centuries as a result of evolving technology. Modern machines gradually replaced the traditional clog-making artisans.
There are still a few traditional clog makers in Holland but they’re few and far between. It’s thought that there are only a dozen clog producers still working in the Netherlands.
Photo – Horse ‘clogs’ and ice clog ‘skates’ c/o Zaanse Schans Clog Museum.
A great place to see clog making in action is the Kooijman Wooden Shoe Workshop in the village of Zaanse Schans, not far from Amsterdam. The town is famous for its panoramic waterfront with a long line of windmills.
You can learn more about the history of traditional wooden shoes at the museum and watch how they are made at the Kooijman workshop. It’s a fascinating throwback to the days when clogs were king.
Robust wooden shoes were made for stoneworkers and dyke workers whilst in severe winters, the soles of the wooden shoes were fitted with iron studs to give them more grip on the slippery ice. There’s even a pair of clog skates and horse-adapted clogs in the museum. But no “little mice with clogs on”, sadly.
Stages of Clog Making
- Step One – The clog maker with a machine traces the shape of a wooden shoe model.
- Step Two – Based on the model shoe, a block of wood is fashioned into a wooden shoe shape by revolving cutting ‘knives’.
- Step 3 – Another machine is used to trace and cut out the inside of the wooden shoe using a sharp rotating drill.
- Step 4 – A drill is used to get inside the ‘nose’ of the model shoe so it can be hollowed out.
- Step 5 – The heel and nose of the hollowed-out shoe is cut into the right shape using a sharp knife and special wooden shoe making tool.
- Step 6 – The inside and outside is smoothed down using a sandpaper belt.
- Step 7 – The final shoe is ready and can be decorated to a given design.
The wood used for clogs is generally poplar, alder or willow.
Historic wooden shoes are rare because once worn out, they were generally used as firewood rather than being recycled or handed down.
Source: De Zaanse Schans Clog Workshop and Museum, Holland.
Historically, every Dutch region had its own wooden shoe makers with their own special shape of wooden shoes. By looking at someone’s feet, you could tell where they came from. That sounds like a whole load of fun!
Imagine this conversational ice-beaker. “Hi guys. You must be from Rotterdam by the look of your clogs”.
Decorations on wooden shoes were often used to identify their owners. Clog designs were also adapted for specific work situations or specific weather conditions.
There were even special wooden shoes to wear to church on Sundays and at weddings. It was common for a pair of bridal wooden shoes to be made for a bridegroom on his wedding day. These were often embellished with designs and symbols of love and fertility.
Following the wedding, these special clogs were given pride of place at home – and were not worn again.
The “Windmill Family“
One of my favourite heritage trips in Holland is to Zaanse Schans where a dozen windmills line the banks of the canal side.
Once a large industrial area, the Zaan district was home to 600 windmills producing products such as ground spices, oil, paint, and flour. There are 13 windmills on the site today, half of which are fully functional and open for visits.
Go inside and see what life was like for the mill keeper and his family in the late 19th Century. Two of the most interesting mills are the Het Jonge Schaep sawing windmill and the De Kat paint windmill.
The De Kat mill is the last remaining wind-powered paint and dye mill in the world, originally built between 1646 and 1696. Today you can still see it grinding chalk to make traditional pigments for paint. The whoosh of the sails spinning around is a joy to behold.
Find out about the mill families who lived here and discover photographs of the mill families wearing their clogs.
Cloggers
Could wearing clogs be bad for you?
In earlier centuries, farmers sometimes used their clogs to help dig, kick and stomp on the ground. But there’s new evidence that they may have been bad for the health of agricultural workers
Researchers studying the skeletons of 19th Century Dutch farmers have found that wearing clogs regularly could cause a type of rare bone damage beneath the cartilage of a joint due to a lack of blood flow.
The soles of clogs were so stiff that this may have added to the physical stress associated with farm work.
That’s another good reason why I won’t be wearing them!
Modern Clogs
Today’s clogs are often brightly decorated and aimed at the tourist market – a kind of pastiche of the traditional Dutch wooden shoe with the colour volume turned up to maximum.
They’re fun but in my view are perhaps best used as flower holders or for interior decoration rather than as footwear.
They come in all shapes and sizes but are generally characterised by being a bit over-the-top. Most Dutch people wouldn’t wear this type of clog – they are too gimmicky. I’m still sticking to my soft and cosy clog ‘slippers’.
Haut couture has flirted with fancy versions of Dutch clogs including modern designers like Jo Cope, Pavlina Miklasova and Katharina Beilstein.
And who could forget British designer Vivian Westwood’s contemporary take on clogs and wooden shoes? One of her designs mashed up wooden clogs with platform shoes whilst another was a hybrid of clogs and crocs!
Oldest Clogs
The oldest clogs found in Holland are thought to date from the middle of the 1200s. It’s amazing that they’ve survived.
The oldest wooden clogs were found at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, dating fromaround 1230 and 1280respectively. The oldest was found during the construction of the Amsterdam Metro system.
The old Rotterdam clog is displayed in the collection of theRotterdam Museum – and looks a bit worse for wear after 750 years. Crafted in alder wood, it was found in a railway tunnel in Rotterdam. You can just about make out the shape of the shoe and its upper parts.
Photo – Rare 13th Century wooden clog c/o Rotterdam Museum.
Clog Traditions
Traditional events and festivals are two of the best places to see large groups of Dutch folk wearing clogs and national costumes.
The cheese markets at Alkmaar and Gouda are great places to discover clogs in action during their auctions. The Dutch ‘uniform’ of white caps, red neckerchiefs, clogs and stripy tops are worn by folk in national costume.
Both cheese markets are large scale spectacles which include auctioneers, bidders and cheese carriers. It’s all a bit cheesy – if you’ll pardon my expression – and plays to the tourist crowds, but it’s still great fin.
Even the horse and carriage driver and minder at Gouda cheese fair were wearing wooden clogs. Perhaps they are more nimble in them than I ever managed to be. There is clearly a real art in wearing these clompy shoes!
Photo – The cheese market in Gouda with Dutch folk wearing traditional clogs.
Quick Guide – Top Clog Attractions
So which tourist attractions in Holland are top of the clogs?
Top of my list is the Wooden Shoe Workshop and the De Zaanse Schans Museum which is located 20 minutes drive from north Amsterdam.
It’s located in a neighbourhood of Zaandam where historic windmills and distinctive wooden houses have been relocated to recreate the look of an 18th/19th Century village.
The complex also features traditional craft workshops, cheese making, and a clock museum. There are a large number of windmills, a sawmill and weaving mill. Boat cruises run along the waterway so you can get a different view of the heritage buildings from the water’s edge.
If you’re travelling by car, you may find parking tricky because there are so many coach parties. Be patient and expect to walk a little way into town. If you’re in a motorhome, park on the edge of the village and take bikes into the main museum area. You have been warned!
Source – De Zaanse Schans Clog Workshop and Museum, Holland.
Another tourist attraction, theInternational Wooden Shoe Museum in Eelde, has a great collection of clog-making equipment and machinery. It boasts the largest collection of wooden footwear in the world with more than 3,000 pairs of different clogs and wooden footwear from around the globe.
The Zuiderzee Open Air Museum in Enkhuizen is the “Beamish of Holland’ with heritage buildings, a fishing village, windmill and tannery. It can be reached by car or take the 30 minute train ride from Amsterdam. I’d strongly recommend a day trip to this impressive museum which also runs boat and ferry rides. Clogs are available to wear!
Photograph – Zuidersee Museum, Enkhuizen.
Categories: History, Holland
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