Tradition
For many years we have been levying fees at the movable bridges and the lock in the Frisian Marren municipality. The bridge guards do this with a wooden shoe on a rod: a beautiful tradition that is highly appreciated by visitors. We are proud of this piece of cultural heritage and would like to keep it alive.
Bridges in our municipality
With the movable bridges we provide tourists and commercial shipping unhindered passage. During the sailing season from April 1 to November 1, we charge club money at these bridges and the lock:
- The Pier Christiaan Bridge in Echtenerbrug (2 euros)
- The Flevo Bridge in Lemmer (5 euros for 2 bridges and the lock together)
- The Rengers Bridge in Lemmer (5 euros for 2 bridges and the lock together)
- The lock in the center of Lemmer (5 euros for the lock and 2 bridges together)
- The bridge in the ring road of Sloten (2 euros)
- The Teernstra bridge and the Ossebrêge in Balk (together 2 euros).
Personal contact
The bridge keeper waves the wooden shoe to the passer-by who then pays the bridge fee. This action goes in a smooth motion. In this way the bridge keeper maintains personal contact with the visitor or passer-by. The clog and the bridge keeper are regularly photographed. Especially during the summer, the bridge keeper is asked for information on a daily basis. The bridge keeper also keeps an eye on the surroundings. The wooden shoe regularly provides discussion material and a bit of added value in the work of the bridge keeper.
The practitioners are the bridge guards of the movable bridges in the municipality of the Frisian Marren.
It is difficult to find when the clog fee was introduced. However, documentation from the end of the 19th century shows that it was a form of toll collection. A bridge was passed and that was charged with tolls. Probably a bridge keeper has made the clog with fishing rod to collect the money for practical reasons. After all, the ship is sailing on and it is difficult to stop at every bridge.
It has been regularly published in the course of time. Both about alternative options such as a bowl, but also about abolishing it. There was also often too little or not paid, which resulted in lawsuits. Offenders were often fined with, for example, 10 guilders. At the beginning of the 20th century the wooden shoe money was 5 or 10 cents. Nowadays that is 1 euro.
In earlier years, commercial shipping was mainly charged with the wooden shoe money. Nowadays that is mainly pleasure boating. Over the years you see municipalities increasingly abolishing the clog money. It would not be customer-friendly and impede free passage.
The other side is the personal contact with passers-by, the provision of information and the maintenance of a special tradition.