Anyone who steps one step above the threshold of the Lute van de Bult factory in Belen goes back 100 years back. But for how long? About should, perhaps, want and can.
Sawdust on the floor, tools on the wall. Old saws, chisels, and knives. Sharp blade. You can relax by the wood-burning stove in the middle of the workshop. Black machines. For his grandfather, also Lotte Van de Bolt, it was as good as new at the time. Pieces of wood and clogs. Lots of clogs. Although nothing has happened, the space oozes craftsmanship and history. As if the last custom pair just walked out the door.
“I always make time for clients.”
The beating heart of the workshop, called De Klomphoek, is the oud itself. Almost 75 now. A wide skipper jacket, dust coat has also been around for a while. And of course clogs on his feet. Friendly man. The visit is not announced. “But I always make time for clients,” he laughs.
And he takes his time. It tells about his grandfather, who started making clogs somewhere in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In a kind of small factory on Foezelsloot, it was once dug up with the necessary mud (bad gin) behind. It is located between Belen, which was still a point on the map, and Zeum Hosen. There are simply no more homes. About the grandfather, who in 1908 submitted an application to the municipality to build a “road” in front of the door. This paved road came a year later and ran from Klatering along Foezelsloot to the “center” of Pelin.
About the machine, built in 1930 and made difficult life a lot easier. The stopper shape no longer has to be manually carved out of a log. Turning machine. The plug is a plug, but an electrician. Finishing and “unpacking” was a manual labor.
“There must have been bread on the table.”
About his father, also Lotte, who went on to make clogs at the age of 18. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. He went to school and got sick and when he was recovering they said: Nothing to school, just go to work. There had to be bread on the shelf. ”
This was also true of himself. He grew up in the clog factory. “I was here every free hour. Sometimes I hated working. When my friends were playing outside, I sat here drawing clogs when I was 10 years old.” He painted de Klomphoc’s signature: three triangles (red, green, red) with double stripes below and next to it. On the comb and three lines underneath each other on the nose. “I had to stay within the lines. But because it was manual labor, each pair was a little different.”
Snowboarding on Foezelsloot in the winter. “In the workshop, my dad tied my skates underneath and put me on the ice on the other side. At that time there was no sewage system yet. You can tell from the color of the snow which cleaner was used: pink, green, or blue.
Thankfully, he still had the grandfather movie
Kabeer dropped out in the early 1960s. The Wooden Shoe Factory remained intact, but a mystery. After more than twenty years, Lott inherited the parental home and in one fell swoop returned to his natural habitat. But: He had a clog maker, but he wasn’t a clog maker. “I never learned to trade. Luckily there was an old movie from my grandfather. I saw it many times and just got started.”
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Making clogs in the genes. He learned quickly and became very good. He worked part-time as a technician in a nursing home apartment and spent the rest of his time in the workshop. He won appreciation and appreciation at home and abroad. He exhibited his arts twice at an invitation in the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a wooden shoemaker from Holland. Give him a big hand! ,,that was amazing. He was driving through town in a chariot with white horses in the front. In an interview on American TV, she reached out to the descendants of a distant relative once, Hajar. And all by choosing clogs.
Four, five hours for one pair of clogs. Calculate ‘
To be clear: You cannot make a living for your day making clogs. “I spend four to five hours with one pair of tampons. I count. Bring them in at Welkoop for 25 euros. But the clog factories are struggling too. There are still eleven in the Netherlands. If there are five left in a few years, we should be happy. Fewer.” And fewer people walk on clogs. But it’s not for me to do the money. I wanted to preserve this, make clogs and craft. And it worked. Think of it as a living museum. ”
Can he transfer the stick to the next generation? I don’t see my son doing this but my grandson … his name is also Oud. It would be nice if the fifth generation Van de Bolt guaranteed that the vehicle would not become extinct. ”
