The Dutch are well-known for their wooden shoes, but finding clogs from the Middle Ages—especially in well-preserved condition—is incredibly rare.
Recently, however, archaeologists uncovered such a shoe in the city of Alkmaar, located in the northern Netherlands, around 30 km (18.6 miles) northwest of Amsterdam.
"It was found in a seepage well in an urban area. It's very special because you normally think of wooden shoes as something farmers used while working," archaeologist Silke Lange told Reuters and Historie.
"But this one was found in an urban area. They used this type of footwear on a daily basis," Lange added.
The wooden shoe dates back to between 1450 and 1558, believed to have been crafted in the late 15th or early 16th century.
It measures a size 36 and is particularly notable as the first wooden shoe found in the Netherlands made from birch wood.
This discovery adds to a small collection, as only 44 wooden shoes have been unearthed during archaeological excavations across the country.
