An unexpected nickname for the people of Amersfoort

A remarkable bet

The story begins with Everard Meyster (1617–1679), a writer of poems and plays. He made a bet with his friends. Meyster claimed that he could persuade the people of Amersfoort to drag a huge boulder to the city centre.

The boulder was thought to be near Soesterberg, some six kilometres away. With the promise of beer and pretzels, Meyster managed to enthuse a group of Amersfoort residents. Together, they dragged the heavy stone all the way to the city.

From ‘Boulder Pullers’ to a nickname

The story of this extraordinary feat spread quickly. The people of Amersfoort were laughed at and given the nickname ‘Boulder Pullers’. They weren’t exactly proud of that at the time. The boulder was therefore buried beneath the Varkensmarkt and disappeared from the streetscape for a long time.

It was not until 1903 that the stone was unearthed again by the Flehite Antiquarian Society. The boulder was given a place of honour in the town.

What was once a source of shame thus became part of Amersfoort’s history. And the nickname? That stuck. To this day, the people of Amersfoort are still called ‘Keientrekkers’.