They are yellow-brown with a red drawing on the front, the Wietzes clog from Eelde. The shelves in the store were once full of them, but they become empty more often and are no longer replenished.
“I still have some in terms of trip clogs. About fifty,” says René Rolfes of Rolfes Pet Shop in Paterswolde. He sells a few clogs every day in his shop, but sees the stock dwindling. “But I still have about ten or twelve of the regular clogs. Then it really ends.”
The Wietzes clog, which originated in Eelde, was produced in Twente in recent years after the Wietzes brothers sold the mold of the clog to two brothers in Enter in Twente. They made the real Drenthe clog that is suitable for sale. But now that they are older, the brothers stop.
This means that the mold of the clog will remain on the shelf for the time being. And the shelves are no longer replenished.
It does not mean that the clog can never be made again. After all, the mold still exists. But it is still unclear what will happen to the mold.
The International Clog Museum in Eelde has shown interest. “I was in Enter yesterday to talk about that,” says Bertus van den Hof from the museum. “I also asked: what are you going to do with the molds? In any case, they are not going to sell them to another clog maker. And they also agree with us that Wietzes’ molds belong in the Clog Museum in Eelde. But yes “You also have to give those men time until they want to say goodbye.”
Wietzes clog is the last professional clog that was made for sale. Clogs are still made, but not for sale to the consumer. Someone who still makes clogs is Lute van de Bult from Beilen. He does not make them for sale, but shows the process of making the loafers and gives demonstrations on how to carve such a shoe from wood.
He thinks it’s a shame that there are fewer and fewer people making clogs. The number of people wearing clogs is also decreasing, says Van de Bult. “The balance is gone. They can make a thousand pairs of clogs a week, but if you only sell 200 to 300 pairs you have a problem. Then you have the shed full of clogs. That is the issue at the moment. Hopefully There will come another time when everyone will wear clogs again. Then maybe everything will be fine again.”