Experience silk culture live
HAUS DER SEIDENKULTUR offers silk culture for all ages
“Haus der Seidenkultur (HdS) in Krefeld is the place to experience live the future history of the textile town.” That is how a WDR television channel reporter recently presented the former “Weaving workshop for ecclesiastical textiles Hubert Gotzes” to his audience. The “four-window house”, Luisenstrasse 15, in the once exclusive ‘Crown Prince District of Krefeld’ was actually built in 1868. Today the nostalgic building (near the main station) is an industrial monument which operates as a museum.
Old-established (textile) professions are demonstrated live for visitors and the exciting stories of the ‘Silk and Velvet Town’ are told. In authentic workplaces weavers and point paper designers show how the pattern comes to the loom.
The highlights include the historical weaving workshop with the wooden manual Jacquard looms. From 1908 until 1992, magnificent priests’ robes were woven here. The small weaving workshop once also became world-famous due to a historically relevant incident which happened in the USA in 1926. Even the Vatican focused attention on the weaving workshop for ecclesiastical textiles in Krefeld.
A living history museum naturally has attractions for children and youngsters. In “Little Bobbin” Workshops the museum’s educationalists demonstrate the path “from the silkworm to the silken thread” or invite the youngsters to be part of the “living loom”. And interesting not just for boys, an opportunity to create colourful Krefeld necktie of their own.
In addition to the two-hour visit to the museum, it is possible to take a guided tours of the town “on the silk route”, either on foot or by coach. Half-day or full-day programmes are also available for groups and organisations. .
Tasty refreshments can also be arranged. Why not enjoy an “Original Niederrheinischen Kaffeetafel” for example?
The activities at the museum are run predominantly by volunteers from the Association of Friends which since the year 2000 has owned and supported the property. It was possible to acquire it thanks to funds from the Sparkassenstiftung Krefeld and the NRW-Stiftung.
These children experience how cloth is produced by interweaving a warp and weft thread as part of the “Living Loom”.
View of the nostalgic weaving workshop with its wooden manual Jacquard looms.
Meister Ponzelar and Cornelius de Greiff in front of Haus der Seidenkultur, Luisenstraße 15. Photos: HdS