Pap clock Aardenburg

The pap clock of Aardenburg refers to no less than three key periods in the history of this oldest city in Zeeland: the Roman era, the Middle Ages, and the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). When we zoom in on the smaller loft tower, there hangs the 'pap clock'. In the Middle Ages, the city gates closed in the evening at 9 PM. At 8 PM, the clock would ring to announce this. At that time, the residents of Aardenburg had their fifth and final meal of the day: buttermilk porridge. Back then, a lot of pork was eaten, so fatty, and the sour buttermilk aided digestion. Even now, every evening at 8 PM, the pap clock rings for five minutes. But whether the inhabitants still eat porridge…?

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