Colourful fabrics made on a mechanical loom in Wangen im Allgäu
Hermann Wendlinger is one of very few hand weaving masters in the country. The 82-year-old has been retired for a long time now, but he still teaches young people how to weave in the Wangen weaving association.
Hand-woven textiles are a rarity today. The old handicraft is only practised by a few, such as in the KUHAtex hand-weaving association, an association for the preservation of textile handicrafts, in Wangen im Allgäu. There, 82-year-old weaving master Hermann Wendlinger is still happy to pass on his knowledge and skills.
Hermann Wendlinger learned to weave on a South Tyrolean handloom built in 1901. Today, he uses this same machine to teach young people how to weave. The Lindau-based company DORNIER, which manufactures electronically controlled weaving machines, likes to send its trainees to the handloom association in Wangen im Allgäu. There they can learn this ancient art from weaving master Wendlinger and thus deepen their understanding of weaving.
Creativity and expression through weaving in Wangen
For Wendlinger, weaving is a very creative activity in which he can truly realise himself. He always enjoyed drawing, especially when he was young. And these drawings served him as a template for patterns already during his apprenticeship.
"You can express yourself. I used to draw a lot and in my apprenticeship this became applicable. The fact that a drawing turns into a fabric is amazing." Hermann Wendlinger, KUHAtex hand weaving association in Wangen im Allgäu
Some looms are controlled with punched cards
Before getting started with the 120-year-old loom in the Wangen weaving room, the young students have to learn how to transfer the pattern to punched cards. Punch card-controlled looms were invented by Joseph-Marie Jaquard in 1805 and are therefore also known as Jaquard looms. These looms made it easier to produce large patterned fabrics once the punched card strips had been created.
Art of hand weaving is revived in the old weaving town of Wangen im Allgäu
Hermann Wendlinger has been weaving for 66 years now and has also built several looms himself. Today, he trains apprentices from all over the world in the small weaving room in Wangen. The weaving room was founded and set up in 2017 by the KUHAtex handloom association. Its members come from all over the country. Wangen was chosen as the founding location because the town can look back on a long tradition of plain weaving and later cotton processing.
