14 days of silk culture in the Schwanenmarkt
Live silkworms were a highlight
“Silk culture in the Schwanenmarkt” was the motto from Monday, 25th June to Saturday, 7th July in Krefeld City, where Haus der Seidenkultur (HdS) presented a wide range of things. “We installed a foot treadle floor loom, demonstrated how the pattern gets into the loom and how silk is obtained from cocoons” says HdS press spokesman Dieter Brenner, who carried out interviews with contemporary witnesses from the textile industry and moderated the “Silk and Velvet Quiz”.
Christel Naber, museum educationalist, was responsible for workshops such as “Sleeping Beauty meets the point paper designer” or the “Living Loom” which involved children and youngsters in creative activities with silk and velvet.
Der Arbeitskreis im Verein für Krefelder Heimatkunde (Local history association) was also involved in the highly contrasting activities. Chairman Heinz Webers presented texts in local dialect “Wie die Sie noe Krieewel koem” (How silk came to Krefeld) and “Wäewerledsche” (Weaver songs), which reflect the arduous everyday life of the manual weavers; “because - says Brenner – weavers were seldom well off!”
Voracious silkworms enjoying eating their way through fresh mulberry leaves were the highlight of “Silk culture in the Schwanenmarkt”. They were bred by Class 7 of the comprehensive school Kaiserplatz. “It was possible to watch some of the silkworms spinning their own cocoon,” said Christel Naber describing the unusual scenes in the Schwanenmarkt.
For the Portuguese painter, Ireneu Jose Oliveira – designer of the current Krefeld calendar – the event provided a good opportunity to capture the phases from silkworm to silk thread with his own pen. 
Renate Leuchtenberg and Christel Naber (right), museum educationalists, accompany the “Living Loom”.
Live silkworms crawling about on the Haus der Seidenkultur stand in the Krefeld Schwanenmarkt.
More photos under: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bjya524wstj0va0/xwvJys8XUK
Gefräßige Seidenraupen, die genüsslich frische Blätter vom Maulbeerbaum „schmatzten“, waren das Highlight bei der „Seidenkultur im Schwanenmarkt“. Die Zucht stammte von der Klasse 7f der Gesamtschule Kaiserplatz. „Einige Raupen konnten wir beim Spinnen ihres eigenen Kokons beobachten,“ sprach Museumspädagogin Christel Naber von seltenen Bildern, die im Schwanenmarkt zu sehen waren.
Für den portugiesischen Künstler Ireneu Jose Oliveira – Zeichner des aktuellen Krefeld-Kalenders – war das Ereignis Grund genug, die Phasen von der Seidenraupe bis zum Seidenfaden mit seiner eigenen Feder festzuhalten.
Die Museumspädagoginnen Renate Leuchtenberg und Christel Naber (rechts) begleiteten den „Lebendigen Webstuhl“.
Lebendige Seidenraupen krabbelten am Messestand vom Haus der Seidenkultur durch den Krefelder Schwanenmarkt.
Mehr Fotos unter: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bjya524wstj0va0/xwvJys8XUK