Today, we have prepared a special article, as a sort of homage to Valenki boots definition.
We’ll try to give a brief definition and description of these traditional Russian boots.
What are Valenki Boots?
As already mentioned, these are original Russian boots, so it’s good to know what their name actually stands for. The name comes from the Russian word ˝Valenok˝, which equals to ˝made by felting˝. Your guess is right, these boots wool felt made. They were first manufactured during the 18th century with the intention for people to be able walking on dry snow.
How Do They Look?
Valenki boots are extremely warm. Because these are felting materials. And mostly made out of dried sheep’s wool. Originally being made in one piece only, they got a few modifications through time, reducing their imperfections. For example, they used to wear out quickly from the bottoms. But this got fixed at a later point. Some improvements included adding soft leather soles, to make them more durable. Another example includes adding rubber soles, to ease walking on slippery surfaces.
So, you will see the same as you saw in the photos of Valenki boots.
Modern Version
Valenki boots haven’t changed a lot over the years. Some of the people wear these boots to prevent from getting wet. Additionally, as opposed to the traditional versions in brown, black, grey or white colors, they are manufactured in a variety of colors today. These go from red and blue to green, or yellow.
Modern Russians mostly wear valenki boots in rural areas of the country, while they have unfortunately lost their popularity in urban areas.
Conclusion
Yes, Valenki boots go away through Russian history. And now a days, these are part of a traditional rustic style footwear.
What do you think, are they soon going to be though of as part of Russian history only, or will they continue to be worn by younger generations?
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