Wooden shoes ? A typical Dutch heritage? There is probably not a single person who can give us a solid answer to that question.
Through the centuries, wooden shoes are found throughout the European continent, from the Scandinavian countries to the southern Mediterranean. Some even claim that it was the French who invented wooden footwear.
The fact is that today wooden shoes are a true symbol of Holland, just as much as windmills, tulips and cheese.
Middle Ages
In Holland, the oldest wooden shoe that has been found dates from 1230. This shoe was found in 1979 on Nieuwendijk, a street in the historic center of Amsterdam. Another old wooden shoe was found in 1990 in the dam that was built to close Rotterdam's river Rotte. This wooden shoe, dating from 1280, can be seen at the Schielandshuis in Rotterdam.
Both wooden shoes were made from alder. We can conclude with certainty that wooden shoes have been worn for more than 800 years, and probably even longer.
From 1900 until now
The wooden shoes made today differ little from their ancestors 800 years ago. However, inconsistent with existing budgets noting that wooden shoes are still widely used in the Netherlands, they are being used less and less over the decades.
Until after World War II, almost every town carried its own wooden shoemaker, resulting in a variety of styles, colors, carvings, and decorations. Generally, one had plain wooden shoes for weekdays and painted ones for Sundays.
The men's wooden shoes were usually black or yellow in color, while the women's were lacquered in white or had designs. But it was not until 1920 that the garment began to be painted.