Wooden Shoes

“Wooden shoes” or clogs, it doesn’t get any more Dutch than that. Some people think that the Dutch still wear clogs every day. We know better in Holland, since you are not likely to see them on the streets.

• Clogs are a typically Dutch icon.
• Discover a real traditional clog maker.
• Buy a pair of wooden shoes as a souvenir.

Hundreds of years

Clogs have been traditional footwear for hundreds of years. Did you know that the oldest preserved clogs were found in Rotterdam and Amsterdam and date from the thirteenth century? These wooden shoes look exactly like the clogs still being made today.

Clogs in the street

Today, most of the Dutch do not wear clogs and it is mostly tourists who buy them to take home as souvenirs. So you are unlikely to meet someone wearing clogs on the streets. Farmers do still wear them sometimes however. You may well run into someone wearing clogs “in the wild” in villages like Staphorst and Bunschoten, where people still wear traditional clothing.

Modern clogs

In 2007, Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf showed their folklore inspired fall collection on the catwalks. The eyecatcher? High-heeled clogs! You can see their modern interpretation of old Dutch wooden shoes at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

Buying clogs

Would you like to buy a pair of original wooden shoes? From bare wood to painted in Delft Blue or the Dutch flag, most souvenir shops will have what you are looking for. Or take an excursion to the Zaanse Schans and Volendam to see a clog maker who still makes them the traditional way. You can buy a handmade pair here.