ses and training were to be united in order to carry on spinning the thread of the textile tradition of the Mühlviertel. A network of five partners was created, who presented themselves jointly to the public as the Textile Centre Haslach, a place where a broad variety of textile themes could be experienced by the visitors. Multiple synergies arise between the partners thus counteracting the general tendency of an exodus of textile culture.
The following partners are forming the Textile Centre Haslach:
• The newly designed Museum of Weaving forms the heart of the Textile Centre Haslach for visitors of the house. It explains the traditional process of preparing the flax as well as the development from hand loom to Jacquard machine. In the “treasure chamber” visitors can delve into a wealth of colours and patterns and try their hand on many things. A large textile archive containing a collection of historical sample books which is important beyond the region as a source of inspiration for students, artists and researchers.
• The Manufaktur Haslach is a socio-economic enterprise where various felted products, yarns and fabrics are made from the wool produced by regional sheep farmers. In the course of a guided tour through the house the production can be visited and the actual steps of making fabric are demonstrated on running machines. This enterprise provides temporary workplaces for people who need help in finding back into the labour market.
• Each year for more than 20 years the cultural assocciation Textile Kultur Haslach has been organising a Textile Symposium with courses, exhibitions of textile art, weavers’ markets, lectures, etc. which is well known internationally in the art and craft scene. There are rooms for workshops and areas for special exhibitions available in the Textile Centre Haslach, and the international connections are felt all over the house.
• When the Textile College at Haslach had to close down, modern power looms from its training workshops were obtained for the Textile Centre Haslach. Within the scope of the 2012 newly established University course “Shuttle” students can now develop their own weaves, and work on the interface between art, design and machine production.
• The looms from the former textile college are also used by the Weberie, which produces small series of fabrics and products for the in-house shop, and also takes commissions for metre lengths of exclusive weaves from artists, architects or fashion labels.
The individual partners pool the textile forces at Haslach, cross-fertilize each other, exchange competences and refer visitors and customers to each other. However, eight years elapsed until this structure actually began to work and became a reality after being a vague vision. The important key for the success of the project was the strong identification of the persons involved, who worked with their own hands and with a high degree of responsibility, and who were always certain that life would return to these spaces with their great textile history. Today Haslach is proud again to be a weavers’ town, a fact which was quite unthinkable a few years ago.
The Best in Heritage
The world's only survey of award-winning museum, heritage and conservation projects.
European Heritage Association
Trg kralja Petra Krešimira IV, 7
© Copyright 2002-2017 The Best In Heritage. All rights reserved.
Developed by Edulogic