t stands for ”träskor/trätofflor”

Day 23 –T stands for Träskor/Trätofflor” or say we say in our county, ”Träbonnar”.

“BE SURE YOU PUT YOUR FEET IN THE RIGHT PLACE,
THEN STAND FIRM”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

We get our first pair on as soon as we can walk and then they stay with us all our lives. They are so comfortable and practical. Our first pair, as kids, always made us kicks our ankles bloody – until we learned to walk in them properly. Ohhhh, it was soar.

Not to be mixed up with the Dutch clogs, even if they originate from the Netherlands – the Dutch are all made in wood and ours only the base is wood and top leather, but what I understand that they were in the old days (totally in wood). Have looked for days on the net to find some history about our clogs – but nowhere to be found. Not even Wikipedia.org has any to say. What I learned from this search is that, we living in county Skåne, are called Scanians in English and Skåne is Scanian. Fantastic. It seems like it all started here in Skåne/Scanian – and it’s here we have the biggest manufactures too.The most famous manufacture was Båstad Toffle – but it was sold with its well-known brand name and the ex-owner started up a factory again in the same town and now called Troentorps Träskor. That’s the clogs I used every day at work for over 38 years in total. Very important detail is that Troenstorp, the real clogs are using small nails to fasten the upper leather to the wooden base – while other manufactures are using staples. Very important to different a good clog from a less good one.  2 years ago our clogs made into NY fashion week – and now they are high fashion. In NY there is a Swedish designer by name Nina Zeifvert – that now has made a name in the fashion world. All her clogs are made in Sweden. Then we have to designers in Sweden that has made it big time all over the world with their trendy designs, that is based on the traditional and classic model Moheda Toffeln , Calou and Swedish Has Beens. When I looked to find something about our clogs I found this interesting article – from a magazine – Populär Historia by Caroline Lagercrantz – so I have translated it .. a great story she are telling – about a campaign  that never took off. It will also give you a bit of Swedish history. (text; Populär Historia,by Caroline Lagercrantz )

“Clogs sat before in almost all Scanian feet. They were used for both every day and special occasions. Clogs were cheap, practical and warm, especially with straw in the winter. The performance could be varied endlessly with different designs and decorations on the more expensive specimens. When clogs were worn as footwear, they could be turned into musical instruments (clog violins) or used as milk barrels the Scanian called “kattakar”.
Although the hard material easily lead to calluses, “träskoknuder”, so could skilful wooden shoemaker cut individually customized niches, which can stand comparison with modern arch.
Among the users were the shoes so good that they should be more widely publicized. Carl Gustaf Lekholm, former curator at the Museum of Culture in Lund, tells of a remarkable campaign in the 1800s, swamps Hosts Golden Age.
In 1834 wrote the peasant leader Nils Månsson from Skumparp a letter to the Royal Patriotic Society. According to Månsson country would be able to save millions of dollars on expensive imports of leather shoes were replaced by domestically produced clogs. The proposal met and went out with a call to all of Sweden’s governors to promote greater use of practical footwear.
The petition did get a very mixed reception in each country emitters. In the south, people thought the campaign was unnecessary because most Scanians already own one or several pairs of clogs. In Dalarna wanted to first have a sample to assess the quality of your footwear. Further north, in Norrbotten, where you not at all interested to introduce something as alien as clogs.
There is no great gain to the Treasury was never, even though the campaign increase clogs usage in some areas (including on Gotland and in Värmland).
Archaeologists have found no traces of clogs from Swedish Middle Ages, unlike the great finds of leather shoes from the same time. Scientists believe that footwear was first used in Sweden until sometime in the 1500s. A precursor to our clogs is found in French sabot, which was first mentioned in 1400. Maybe the shoe type was introduced from France and the Netherlands, Denmark and from there to our country.
Träsko-making was once a common way for small farmers to eke out a meagre cash, especially during the winter months. Each Skåne village had its own wooden shoemaker who brought their raw material from alder wood. It was a labour intensive craft that usually did not yield as much revenue.
After all, more people can afford leather shoes by the cheaper machine manufacturing in the early 1900’s, swamp Hosts days are numbered. Clogs, as they look today, with leather on the top, soon had completely wiped out the old style clogs.

I still haven’t any of the modern trendy styles; stick to the classic and my feet’s loves them!!!!

Photo’s provided by; m-magasin.se/tinnesblogg.blogspot.com/sverigesradio.se/
saifa.com/brandos.se/johannablomgren.com/papershoes.com/lugnets.blogspot.com/
blondinmama.blogspot.com/precisensan.com/annasannorlunda.blogspot.com