Clogs or Klompen are traditional wooden shoes of the Netherlands and along with windmills and tulips and large wheels of cheese, they are probably the most iconic emblem of the country.

You can find them being sold in nearly every city as souvenirs and an estimated 6 millions are produced and sold in the country each year.

That's a lot of wooden shoes!

Every once in a while you can actually see a person wearing them too. The photo above was taken at the Alkmaar cheese market this year. I cropped the photo and zoomed way in to only showcase the shoes, but you get the point, they are still worn during some events to keep the tradition alive and to please the tourists. I also read that some farmers still wear them while tending their crops and fields.

Who knew?

After seeing so many clogs during our two short trips to the Netherlands and since I'm partially of Dutch decent (my Opa was from Holland) I really wanted to learn more about the history of the tradition; and now that I've done the research I'm going to share what I'v learned here with you.

Here is a picture of me wearing a pair of Miffy clogs. Miffy is a famous cartoon bunny created by a Dutch artists and another iconic symbol of the Netherlands.

Brief History of Clogs

Clogs in the Netherlands date as far back as the 13th century.

Originally it was just the sole of the shoe that was made from wood and they had a leather strap attached to hold them to the wearers feet. The design was actually based on a type of sandal that was worn in Rome over 2000 years ago. Later the shoes were made entirely from wood to offer more protection to the wearers feet.

The covered version of the shoes were originally designed, essentially as a safety shoe for factory workers, farmers, fisherman and other tradesmen and women. Hooks, nails and other sharp objects were generally unable to penetrate the wood and muddy fields were easier to walk in with clogs compared to the boots that were produced at that time.

Different professions had different shaped clogs as well, and they were often painted differently. For instance, working shoes were typically left unpainted whereas event shoes could be very ornately decorated.

Plain clogs were also worn around the house while more fancier ones were worn to church and to special occasions like weddings and festivals.

An interesting tradition in the town of Marken involves clogs and marriage. When a couple was to be married the groom would hand carve a pair of clogs for his bride, which he would present to her when they got engaged. The shoes were often decorated very fancy and the designs carved on the outside of the shoes were often very intricate and elaborate.

Wooden shoes are not unique only to the Netherlands though. They are actually quite common in many cultures around the world.

Many cultures in Europe and Asia have their own version of clogs of varying designs, but Dutch clogs are generally characterized as covering the full foot, being hand painted, and having a smooth curved shape with a pointed toe.

Making Clogs

In the past clog makers were called Bodger's and according to online sources, it took about 3-4 hours for a clog maker to carve a pair of shoes by hand. Master Bodger's could make up to seven pairs of clogs in a single day.

Clogs were generally made from woods such as willow, alder, balsa, beech and poplar because those woods didn't split easily during the shoes construction. They were also soaked in water before hand so that the wood wouldn't splinter as it was being carved.

The maker would first cut out a rough shape in the wood with a small hand axe and then they would carve the outside into its iconic design. Once the outside was complete they would begin to hollow out the inside before allowing the soaked wood to dry. Drying the clogs would take up to 3 weeks.

Designs

Different types of wood have different characteristics so clog makers would choose the wood to suit their specific purpose. For instance, some woods are lighter and more springy which makes them better suited for festival clogs and for dancing.

Other woods are better at absorbing moisture so those might be used for farming and gardening.

The photo above shows a few different uses for clogs but I personally doubt that all are real. I don't think that a person could get their foot into a pair of wooden boots like that. I did read that clog ice skates were a thing though and I read a few sources that mentioned smugglers clogs which had a false bottom used to hide contraband.

There were different shapes for clogs depending on their function. For instance, folks who worked on ice generally had clogs with sharp points on the soles to keep them from slipping and people who worked in bogs had ones with wider and more square noses that helped them from sinking in the mud.

Think wooden snowshoes for mud.
Many wearers state that the shoes are actually quite comfortable too. They say that they keep their feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They also say that the wood tends to absorb sweat and moisture so their feet generally always remain dry while wearing them.

I was originally going to buy a pair of clogs when we were there for our trip this year but when it came time to purchase them I decided against it. I love the idea of them but I didn't think that I would actually wear them and I generally don't like to buy things that I won't use. Instead I bought a tiny pair of clogs which I plan to turn into a Christmas ornament.

For now, maybe I'll just wear them around the house on my fingers. I can refer to them as my finger clogs.

What about you? Do you have a pair of clogs or does your culture have their own version of traditional wooden shoes? Let me know in the comments.