The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

Pipe smoking has a long history and is not much done nowadays. These last years the number of pipe lovers seems to increase slightly. Smoking a tobacco pipe demands a certain mental state. Pipe smokers highly value the experience. Pipe smoking must be actually learned. Various kinds of tobacco pipes may be used, made of wood or stone. Cleaning the pipe is a ritual in itself. One must discover which kind of pipe tobacco is tasty. Many pipe smokers attend monthly local and regional gatherings for pipe smokers. At these meetings not only pipes are smoked, but people also exchange experiences on the different tastes of tobacco, pipe types or history. Sometimes there are workshops at the better tobacconist. From inside the groups the collection and research of tobacco pipes is stimulated. To this end contacts are maintained with archaeologists, historians and curators.

 

Community

Members of the Nederlandse Federatie van Pijprokers (Dutch Pipe Smokers Federation) gather in groups, mostly monthly. There are national meetings too. The Foundation for the Research of Historical Tobacco Pipes annually organises an exchange and determination day for members.

 

History

After the discovery of America the tobacco came to Europe. At first, tobacco was mainly used for medicinal purposes. In the nineties of the sixteenth century English mercenaries introduced pipe smoking in Holland. In the thirties of the seventeenth century the smoking was common. Already in the seventeenth century pipe smoking itself was not only reserved to men. Ladies from the highest circles smoked a pipe. In the eighteenth century women from lower circles smoked pipes as well. Pipes were smoked blatantly and because of this the tobacco pipe has often had a political significance as well. In the course of time much has changed in the pipe tobacco varieties. The type of tobacco  depends on the raw basic tobacco that is used, the processing and the way it is cut. A rich material culture has been built around pipe smoking. Think of paintings, smokers chairs, cuspidors, tampers, tobacco jars, pipe standards and cases. Pipes were not only made of clay and wood. Pipes made of meerschaum and porcelain were often craving objects of art. Naturally, we now know that tobacco, with all its biochemical ingredients, has a damaging effect on our health. However, every grownup Dutchman is free to smoke a pipe and enjoy it.

 

Contact

Nederlandse Federatie voor Pijprokers
Drukkerijlaan 8
2627 CM
Delft
Website