“Most people here are Christian. They believe, and I believe also. Most people think people from Staphorst are strange in a way, that it is a separate town and that people here are not normal”

Nils Bauterhaus is 16 years old and has lived in Staphorst since 2000. Looking like any 16-year-old skateboarder, Nils told me his dream was to open a clothes shop in nearby Mappel. As we talked he expressed contentment to live in a town which is considered by many to be stuck in time, a town where many of the inhabitants attend church twice on Sunday and shun the trappings of modern life. Staphorst could be called the capital of the Dutch Bible Belt.

Defying preconceptions
I was expecting to be thrown into a medieval town with horses and carts but no, Staphorst appeared to be like any other small town in the Netherlands. Prettier, perhaps, with traditional thatched farmhouses painted blue and green lining the main drag, the town had a sleepy feel that said little about its reputation.

Neither did I see the clog-wearing, black-stockinged reformers and Calvinists that I had been led to believe walked the streets. They are here, but they are a fading breed, in clothing at least. Only 600 women still wear the traditional costumes and they choose not to do so in the summer because of the tourists that come here to look at them. Local guide Jette Jantje told me that slowly the old ways were giving way to the contemporary world.

“It is changing here. Computers are here. The inhabitants go by car to other places and the young ones see what is in the world. I think by the next generation we won’t see the old clothes any more, the young people want to wear ordinary clothes.”

Television free
Although the internet is making inroads in Staphorst, it is clear that commercialism isn’t the major force in the town. Shop fronts are sparse and restaurants and bars are hard to find. Despite the desire to keep the modern world at bay, everyone I spoke to was friendly, open to talking and happy to try to help me, as Jette proved.

“Here people help each other. We have a kind of social control here. If somebody isn’t feeling very well, their neighbour will call them and make sure they are alright. If their shutters do not open for a day, someone will knock on the door and check on them.”

While Staphorst may be considered backward looking by the outside world, it’s all a matter of perspective says Danielle Lochtemberg, who works at the town hall and deals with public relations for the town.

“Many times the outside world seems to attack Staphorst, so the inhabitants are a little afraid and too sceptical of the outside world. How someone else acts will affect how other people react.”

Be aware, euthanasia, same sex marriage or abortion are not topics that are likely to win you friends in Staphorst, but the inhabitants argue that they are tolerant and open to outsiders, if they in turn respect the way the community lives. After all, says 16 year old Nils, they are not so different.

“I don’t think of myself as another type of person. I don’t think I am apart [from others]”

Time are changing in Staphorst but that doesn’t prevent those traditional values of religious dedication and a strong sense of community from remaining at the pillar of this small pocket of Dutch life.

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