The Royal Stiltwalkers

The Royal Stiltwalkers

The group of the Royal Stiltwalkers was founded in June 1945. It was then that the inhabitants of Merchtem decided to revive their folk heritage.

The tradition of using stilts in Belgium is known since the Middle Ages: with their help peasants used to reach nearby villages after heavy rains. But very soon the stilts became not only a useful device during bad weather but also an entertainment. Pieter Bruegel even represented the stilts on his famous painting the Children’s games.

The members of the Royal Stiltwalkers wear yellow-red costumes (in colors of the national flag) and perform accompanied by a musical band. A part of them demonstrate an ancient tradition related to the national wooden shoes — clogs. They line up behind each other and fix their clogs on two wooden planks. In the past such improvised skis were used during the past.

There is a funny anecdote witnessing how popular stiltwalking is in Belgium: during the celebrations of the 50-th anniversary of its revival the statue “Manneken Pis” in Brussels was dressed in a stiltwalker’s attire. Since 1945 the Royal Stiltwalkers “walked” around all Belgium and most of the European countries.