The large colorful building is the Weberhaus, or weaver house. This was the site in 1389 of the original hall of the Weavers Guild of Augsburg. This current building has been rebuilt several times, but each time with the colorfully painted exterior. From the middle ages through the industrial age the textile industry was important to the economic well being of Augsburg, and such a prominent building speaks to that importance.
Having spent the better part of 45 years in the needle trades I could not resist a visit to the Textile and Industry Museum.
There are various rooms which follow the timeline of the weavers trade and the historical importance of that trade. There is a display of fabric sample books from the New Augsburg Calico company's collection of fabric sample books. The books dated from 1783 to 1993, and include 1.3 million production fabric samples. But the main attraction for me was the large display hall of looms including restored 19th century Jacquard looms which operate using a punch card system to program the patterns. This is not a static museum, all these are operational, and depending on the day the machines will be running. The one downside for us was that the information placards were all in German. Using the google lens app on our phone does allow for quick translations, but it becomes a bit tedious. Fortunately a gentleman from the museum met us in the machinery hall and offered rough translations of the video presentations.
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| spinning machine turning raw cotton into yarn |
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| Early Jacquard loom |
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| Modern high speed loom operating pneumatic shuttles |
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