Wooden clogs are considered by many as a form of Dutch traditional dress. This frenzy boomed during the last few decades within the tourist industry. Of the 3 million wooden shoes which are made yearly, a big part of them are destined for tourist seats. Many think that all Dutch people wear clogs, which is why Dutch are sometimes called ‘cloggies’. In Dutch, clogs are known as klompen.
In fact, in Holland few people wear clogs, mostly farmers, market-gardeners and people who work in nurseries. This is because clogs are regarded as a kind of safety shoes and indeed they are.
Dutch clogs have been officially marked as safety shoes, after being tested and awarded the CE mark. Wooden shoes have been worn through out Europe since the late dark ages Dutch used to wear them, mainly because of the swampy ground and the abundance of good wood ‘klompen’ are made of such as willow and poplar.
The KlompenMuseum Gebroeders Wietzes in Eelde has a vast collection of ‘klompen’ being the greatest wooden shoe museum to this date. www.klompenmuseum.nl