Evincibly, the Krusne hory Mountains are the oldest Mother Soil of the cultivated lace trade in Bohemia, which is an area with a long tradition and a wide network of its production. A mention of lace making in the neighbouring Saxonia is contained in the testament of Melchior von Osse of 1556. In the Krusne hory Mountains region, the beginning of the lace trade is connected with the personality of Barbora Uttmanova by a legend.
In 1561, this lady settled in (now German) Annaberg and, from the Flanders, brought with her the knowledge of the West-European lace trade. The legend in this sense of dreaming is, however, younger. In Annaberg, famous for its production of bordering, the lace trade is recorded in the Jenisins chronicle of 1561.
In the Krusne hory mountains, where a come-down of metal mining was starting, and the Thirty Years War capped it, the lace making quickly spread and, from here, bound to the miners¥ families, to the Cheb region and the South Bohemia region. It is recorded that, in Saxonia and Bohemia in the beginning of the 18th century, there were some 10 thousand persons involved in the lace making.
The Baroque fashion brought fame to the Krusne hory lace trade, which it has kept till the 20th century. Laces according to Dutch and English patterns were made here, mostly from Dutch flax yarn, but also lace from golden and silver thread, but the black silk lace according to the Spanish fashion became the most wanted article.
Around the year of 1750, thousands of people worked for traders in Jachymov, Vejprty and Nejdek who were selling the lace to the Western Europe and Hungary.
The Theresian Cadaster of that time quotes two lace traders in Rudny and one in Nove Hamry, and, in 27 communities, it considers lace making as the main or partial way of support. Official reports document that the lace made in the Krusne hory region was of quality and in demand and claming that the number of persons finding support through making lace increased. Around the year of 1800, there were 16,743 lace makers there, and around 12,000 women in the Loket region in 1819. The Krusne hory region kept contacts with the world trends not only through the business demand but also thanks to the access of the governors.
Maria Theresa and Franz 1st supported the competitive lace trade. The State was interested in quality, which the professional education could provide. Maria Theresa established a lace making school already in 1767, in Prague, Franz 1st founded, in 1806, the State Lace Making Manufacture in Vienna where also 32 girls of the surroundings of Zatec and Loket were instructed.
Shortly afterwards, the Emperor established other three schools
in the Krusne hory region, namely in Kraslice), Jachymov and
Loket. The schools survived till 1818. In the meantime, other
schools occurred in Slavkov , Medenec Smideberk (Kovarska) ,
Bozi Dar and eight other smaller communities of the Krusne hory
region where the lace makers were professionally led towards
making Brussels lace.
Professional training for lacemakers in this area continued even after transfering the state school to Prague and there was no interuption untill the World War I.
Needle lace was brought to Krusne Hory Mountains by Count Josef Auersperk. He invited a Belgian lacemaker to come here. Lace production took up around Olovi.
There were around 1500 women supported by this work in 1854. The centre of needle lace was in the small town of Gossengrun (Krajkova). The State lace school was set up there in 1881. Production went on close to the middle of the 20th century.
The branching net production supported by knowledge of western techniques responded easily to markets demand by adapting to the pattern.
Despite the fact that lacemaking in Krusne Hory Mountains was hurt by a sales crisis , when machine lace started to compete with hand-made lace, the number of of lacemakers was estimated to be between 40,000 &60,000 in 1850 with casual workers.
There were made Valenciennes laces, needle and applied lace, also laces from horse hair and straw were produced here. Beads in different colours for emphasizing motif were also used.
A Central commitee for lace production cooperated with a German workshop J. J. Wechselmann from Berlin, for setting up a model workshop and for professional training for lacemakers. New patterns were prepared in 1867 for applied , needle and Valenciennes lace, also for chantilly,duchesse a guipure.
Kraslice became the centre of development . There was expanded also tambour work in the vicinity of this town. This work came here from Germany and 20 000 people made their living by this work. They embroided aprons and scarfs, mostly for folk costumes in Hungary.
Traders from this area exported them to Vienna and Budapest. Setting up of Central Lace Training course in Vienna and support Chamber of Commerce in Cheb was of great importance for lacemaking in Krusne Hory Mountain.
Lace in this area was generally west-orientated from the beginning. Production was divided into two types as in many other regions and they have many similar outlines.
The yard lace was made according to home patterns but lacemakers got orders and patterns from factors, who were employd by lace firms. Sales and export for abroad were guaranteed mainly due to the connection with the spa towns - Karlovy Vary, Marianske and Frantiskovy Lazneand getting in touch with traders abroad.
The main market was Germany, England, also U.S.A. with the
cheaper lace exported to Italy. In laces from Krusne Hory Mountains,
which were adapted to patterns from West Europe, we can find
many motifs coresponding with Baroque and Rococo periods for
a quite long time, until the 19th century.
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Black silk " blonde" from Krusne Hory Mountains rom the end of the first half of the 19 th century. |
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White silk blonde made by lace makers from Krusne Hory Mountains in the 1970s. |
Historical patterns discovered in the last third of the 19th century are influenced by Secession period. These types of laces created an important period here. The new, good quality art designs come here at the turn of the century.
This lace work held interest of the management of Viennaer Wrkstatte which had a subsidiary in Nejdek and gave work for many lacemakers here bobbin and needle lace according to patterns, which were made by artists for this factory.
You can see a transition from secession to artdeco in laces, which were made for this firm.
The influence of this Viennanese firm was taken by School State Institute for Home Industry after the formation of Czechoslovak Republic and a new specialized training was built with aspiration for connecting of art and handicraft.
Traditional patterns were radically attacted by new art designs. The School and Institute of Art Production in Prag organized the lace courses in Krusne Hory Mountains, sent the material, patterns and salary for work, which had been handed over before.
Money was sent by only a few times a year and only good lacemakers
got 20 crowns per month, even girls, who were only 6-7 years
old, attended the lace courses. Bobbin lace was made from non-
bleached thread and from white or black cotton thread according
to a pricking made in advance on a cardboard s belt ( -prespan-).
Bobbins were made a little bit sturdier with a cover. Students
made the tape lace the widest around 60 bobbins, also mats, and
lately collars, insertions for necks and other accessories, were
made.
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Lace from Gossengrun according to design of M.Hrdlickovain 1930. |
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Mat-bobbinlace Design D.Peche, Viennaer Werkstatte. |
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These main types of techniques were used here a whole and half stitch, a chain stitch, picots and leadwork, simplier kinds of wirgin ground and rose ground.
Production of hand-made lace were weakend at some places by machine- made laces and curtains in the period between World War I and II, the production of machine- made curtains have lasted in Kraslice till now.
The decline of lace-making in Krusne Hory Mountains is connected with the evacuation of German- speaking people from there after World War I and with coming of new people , who found work in the developing industry. Weakening of hand-made lace production led to the downfall of traditional lace trade. The role of factors were taken by UVA and ULUV also Cooperative Vamberk lace Vamberk employed lacemakers especially for production of needle lace in 1950s.
The School and Institute of Art Production was trying to keep the rest of lace tradition here and established its branch in Chomutov on the request of the town of Vejprty in 1969 - School and Institute of Art Production in Chomutov. Lately there were courses of bobbin and needle lace in these towns - Klasterec nad Ohri, Most and Usti nad Labem.
Nowadays this branch educates children and adults even from distant places. Also the University in the town of Usti nad Labem Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyne teaches students of art about the technique of bobbin lace.
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Rack with the basket from the laminated pasteboard paper use din Krusne Hory Mountains. |