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# Pattens, protective overshoes worn in Europe since the Middle Ages against street filth
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/patteny-osobyi-vid-obuvi-ispolzuemoi-v-evrope-so-srednevekovia-prezhde-asesho-kak-sredstvo-zashchitit-nogi-i-obuv-ot-griazi-i-gorodskikh-nechistot-pri-otstutstvii-dostatochno-khoroshego/
- Published: 2024-03-22T08:32:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:38:28.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Mores, Ethnography

Pattens: a special kind of footwear used in Europe since the Middle Ages, chiefly as a means of protecting feet and shoes from mud and urban filth where road surfaces were not good enough. Pattens were made of metal and wood and fastened over ordinary shoes with leather straps or tape.

The French name of this footwear derives from the Old French for “hoof” or “paw”.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_11604@22-03-2024_11-32-37.jpg)