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The textile industry in Aachen has a history that dates back to the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. The
Imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
of Aachen was the main
woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...
center of the
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhineland ...
. Certain kind of woolens made there were illustrated as "Aachen fine cloth (german: Aachener Feintuche)." These high-quality fine woolens have a
plain weave Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishing fabric ...
structure using carded
merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
yarns Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactur ...
, and a raised surface. The production of high-quality, fine cloth required fine foreign wool and skilled craftsmen and was reserved for town craftsmen. It involved regulated steps including sorting, combing, washing, spinning, fulling, dyeing, shearing, and pressing the wool. The finished products were inspected and authorized with a town trademark before being sold and exported. Fine cloth was a major export in the Middle Ages. The city's industrial importance stemmed from its status as a center of high-quality cloth production. Aachen textile manufacturing went through different phases, from rural craft and domestic production to organised forms of industry. It has gone through many ups and downs. In contrast to neighboring cities, Aachen could not adapt to changing times, socioeconomic conditions, and technology, which led to the gradual decline of its manufacturing sector in the early modern period, despite the city's great heritage and craftsmanship in the textile industry.


History

Aachen is reported to have "thousand year old tradition as a cloth city", which has had a significant effect on the reputation of the textiles made there."Aachen fine cloth" definition, in Rouette, Hans-Karl, ''Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing'', Elsevier, 1 June 2001,
p. 1
/ref> After the decline of the Middle Ages, many of Aachen's artisans and merchants seemed resistant to adopting the technological and social changes that were occurring throughout
western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
. During the late Middle Ages, Aachen was one of Europe's main industrial centers for making woolen cloth. However, in the early modern period, it could not keep its status and compete with England and other rival centers because of its rigid guild institutions and illiberal political structure. The preindustrial production was a blend of
artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, ...
production and a
domestic system The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote w ...
. The Aachen fine cloth industry flourished until guilds seized control, after which it deteriorated gradually. The putting out system with domestic spinning and weaving was founded in the guild-free cities of Eupen, Montjoie, Burtscheid, and Vaals at the end of the 17th century. The amount of raw wool increased by 30% during the peak year of 1680, and shearers were believed to have produced more in a single year than in the past five. Aachen had 80 shearmen, 100 master weavers, and 300 looms in 1705; by 1735, the number had more than doubled, with 140 shearmen, 200 weavers, and 600 looms. However, during the 1770 slump, one-fifth of the traditionally working people in the wool trade went unemployed.


Early history

The city of Aachen experienced significant political and economic growth throughout its history, propelled mainly by the various industries that emerged around the local springs. These industries included the operation of
spas Spas or SPAS may refer to: * Spa, a therapeutic water treatment Geography * Spas, Russia, several rural localities in Russia *Spas, Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast, a village in Lviv Raion in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine *Spas, Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast, a villa ...
, the manufacture of needles, and the textile industry. It is supposed that the tradition of cloth manufacturing in Aachen dates back to the reign of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...
. The abundant supply of water near the city favored the growth of textiles. Aachen was renowned for lime-free water and the warm springs that were helpful in various
textile manufacturing Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful go ...
stages, such as
dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particu ...
and finishing the fabric. The city offered better connectivity as it was situated on a Roman-built east-west road system, and it also had easy access to wool from nearby farms. *12th century A preoccupation with the textile industry resulted in the formation of a local cloth manufacturing industry that serves consumers from outside the near vicinity. At the 12th century, Aachen cloth was sold in
Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a populat ...
and
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...
. Aachen's woolen trade gained fame over the next three centuries. They followed in the footsteps of their
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...
"masters," focusing on products that had already established their worth at the legendary medieval fair. Those products include many variations such as "Gray" and "brown" fabrics, "bombassins" (blended with half cotton), "bays" (half worsted), "says," "Arras" (unfulled woolen), and "Berry cloth." A total of seven thousand pieces were produced in a year from all these materials. By the 15th century, Aachen's fabrics had found their way into markets as far away as
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, the
Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
, and
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...
. The development of the manufacturing sector inevitably led to a more complex division of labor. By this time, the groups and individuals involved in the wool trade, including shearmen, fullers, spinners, weavers, dyers, accessory suppliers, and all those involved in manufacture, had grown to be well-known in the city of Aachen. The influx of foreign artisans and merchants increased Aachen's already rising population;
Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
and
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
were among them. This gradient inevitably gave birth to newer systems and problems in Aachen.


Guild organisation

* 13th century to 16th century In the 13th century, the became the dominant guild after a slow start and incorporated nearly all woolen trades. Following a sluggish start in the 13th century, it grew over the next 100 years, reaching its peak in the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th century. The guild, as the primary industry, played a significant role in the political system of Aachen. Over time, the power of the guild and the city became intertwined. The aristocratic oligarchy in Aachen fiercely protected their right to appoint members to the guild, which fueled resentment among the common people towards the authorities, particularly feudal landlords and wealthy merchants. The craftsmen rebelled due to dissatisfaction with the oligarchs' management of the city and guilds. However, the underlying cause was the concentration of power and wealth, and the lack of rights for craftsmen within the guilds and as burgesses. After the 1450 revolt, a agreement called the Gaffelbrief was established, allowing guild representation in the Council, the highest legislative body in Aachen. However, these changes did not significantly improve the situation for the guilds and the Gaffelbrief was largely ineffective.


English cloth

The industry's growth up to 1400 went into reverse after the mid-15th century. The English, who previously sold raw wool, began producing clothing for a global market, leading to the decline of the wool trade and the economy of Aachen. The rapid expansion of English manufacturing, as would be expected for a "late-comer," resulted in the production of West-England cloth that surpassed both the quality and cost of cloth made in Europe's most established cities. According to some accounts, in the early 1600s, the Hansa, which held special privileges in this new trade, exported over 150,000 bales of English woolen fabrics to Germany.


Calvinism

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Aachen faced significant challenges due to religious conflicts throughout Europe. As a predominantly Protestant city, many of its leading clothiers and exporters supported the Reformation. Calvinism, in particular, gained a strong foothold in the city thanks to the support of wealthy clothiers who had fled persecution in other parts of Europe. While Protestants were initially excluded from the Wollenambacht guild, they eventually gained the right to join and were granted the privileges of burgher status. By 1582, the council was dominated by Calvinists, who made up approximately one third of the city's population. This Protestant administration faced opposition from Catholic rulers, including the Spanish governors in the Netherlands who planned an attack on Aachen. The Duke of Julich also imposed a blockade on goods from the city, further damaging its exports which were already struggling in the global market.


Thirty Years' War

* 17th century and 18th century The
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
had a major influence on the decline of industry in Aachen. The expenses of military occupation and war contributions greatly strained the city's financial resources and disrupted traditional methods of trade, which also hindered the wool industry's access to raw materials. The wool industry's difficulties added to the challenges of selling its fabrics, particularly at the fairs. The wool industries in Aachen were unable to respond effectively to the competitive forces brought about by the introduction of new English textiles, such as draperies. The industrial decline was primarily caused by religious conflicts and the detrimental impact of guilds. By the 18th century, corruption and nepotism had caused the guild system to lose its effectiveness, leading to a decline in craftsmanship. Additionally, the woolen trades were resistant to the emergence of the "putting-out" system, a new industrial model driven by profit-seeking entrepreneurs. This conflict between traditional and capitalist approaches presented a challenge for the guilds. Rather than confronting the guilds directly, early capitalists bypassed them by locating some of their businesses outside the city, particularly in the finishing trades. Raw cloth was increasingly sent to nearby towns to be dyed, resulting in a more "marketable form" of color application. The finishing trades were the first to go through this change. More and more, the clothiers started sending raw cloth to nearby towns to be dyed. A report from the time said that the colors were applied better and in a more "marketable form" there than in Aachen.


Montjoie fine cloth industry

The decline of the cloth industry in Aachen and the events that led to it contributed to the rise of the fine cloth industry in
Monschau Monschau (; french: Montjoie, ; wa, Mondjoye) is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the ...
french: Montjoie; in fact, it reached its peak level of growth and witnessed strong growth in the post-
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...
period (1780). The protestant clothiers organised the (Fine kinship), an organisation of fine-cloth manufacturers led by Schiebler, to protect their interests. Production figures of fine cloth produced in Monjoie mentioned in the ''Kumpfen'' grew from 2236 in the year 1773 to 3821 in the year 1779, and 4325 in the year 1783, and so the wealth. It was valued then 1.5 million
thaler A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter ...
s. Thus, Montjoie production exceeded the entire output of all other textile manufacturing hubs in the Duchies of Jülich and Berg. Bernard Schiebler, the founder of the Montjoie industry and the lower Rhine region's second wealthiest person with 380000
thalers A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...
, also attributed Montjoie's success in fine cloth to Aachen's strict guild structure.
Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
, the German journalist, documented his Rhineland journey in 1790 and wrote, "proportionately, Burtscheid employs more operatives in the manufacture of cloth than Aachen. The largest factory there belongs to Mr. Loewenich and consists of spacious and well-constructed buildings." Forster also remarked on the quality of the fine cloth and the general prosperity and growth that this unregulated industry had experienced in the past decades.


Resurgence of Aachen

In the 18th century, Aachen underwent major changes, which were driven by changes in the global economy. Clothiers in the city, seeking to improve their businesses, adopted new dyeing techniques and improved their shearing, finishing, and marketing practices. This led to the decline of the guild system, as clothiers sought to remove barriers to free trade. Alphons Thun posits that societal norms may restrict growth but cannot completely halt it. Over the course of the 18th century, the region of Aachen became the important woolen cloth region in the German cloth trade. In the second half of the 18th century, the
Verviers Verviers (; wa, Vervî) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Ensival, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also ...
,
Eupen Eupen (, ; ; formerly ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border ( Aachen), from the Dutch border (Maastricht) and from the " High Fe ...
, and Aachen triangle had the largest fine cloth industry in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
and with the most dynamism.


Napoleonic wars

* 19th century and 20th century Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
affected Germany's woolen industries differently. In French-annexed left-bank Rhine areas, guilds were abolished and manufacturers gained access to the French market. Aachen's woolen industry flourished, and mechanised spinning-mills were built. In 1814, Prussian factory inspector J. G. May recorded an increase at wool and cashmere output in Aachen, Eupen, Verviers, Monschau, and nearby hamlets during the war. Mechanized mills for spinning carding wool were established during and immediately after the Napoleonic Wars in Cottbus and Guben in the Mark Brandenburg, Grünberg in Lower Silesia, and Aachen in the Rhineland. During this period, shearing machines were also installed in Lennep in 1804 and Aachen in 1818.


= Industrialization

= At the beginning of the 19th century, it was the first woolen cloth region to use
spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
and
carding Carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibres between differentially moving surfaces covered wit ...
machines. The regional industrial system underwent substantial change in the first two decades 19th century. Around 1830, clothiers in Aachen, Burtscheid, Düren, and Eupen, who controlled the majority of the region's textile industry, maintained centralized facilities and possessed vertically integrated industries. In the 1830s, there were some 1,850 mechanical looms in the city, giving work to 6,500 weavers. By 1850, the area of Aachen had taken the lead in Germany in the production of textiles, with 17,800 workers employed. Aachen was a hub for industrial textile production in 1911, with 103 active cloth factories. The textile industry in the city also played a role in the growth of mechanical engineering, chemical manufacturing, and paint production. However, by 1910 the textile industry was in relative decline, with a marked growth in metal working. Aachen used to be known for its carded wool fabrics, but since the turn of the 20th century, the city's economy shifted to concentrate on manufacturing high-quality
worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham ...
fabrics, both piece-dyed and as unique fine worsted variations.


Textile school

The "Weaving School Association for the Administrative District of Aachen," known as the "," was founded in 1882 by cloth industrialists. FH Aachen is a university that was founded in 1971 and focuses on applied sciences.


See also

*
Cloth merchant In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ...
*
Chinchilla (cloth) Chinchilla was a napped material made from fine wool. The surface has tufts very close together. Synchilla Chinchilla is a milestone fabric in the evolution of fleece. ''Synchilla'' (Synthetic Chinchillla) was the first generation fleece. In ...
*
Gig-mill A gig-mill (gigging machine, napping machine) was type of raising machine that used teasels to produce a nap on cloth. Examples of the results of gigging are woolen fabrics such as chinchilla, beaver cloth, and melton. The process involved g ...
*
Timeline of Aachen The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Aachen, Germany. Prior to 14th century * 451 – Town "pillaged by the Huns." * 786 – Palace of Charlemagne construction begins. * 796 – Palatine Chapel construction begins (approx ...


References

{{Reflist Textiles History of Aachen