Museum in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm

Museum of Nový Jičín, p.o.

From the 17th century on, most of the inhabitants of the poor little town of Frenštát at the foot of the mountains and from the surrounding area made their living from weaving. The establishment of the weaver’s guild, which was one of the first and oldest in the town, is documented in the „Memorial Registry of the honest weaver’s guild in the town of Frenštát“ from 1598 with the guild’s insignia of three weaver‘s shuttles. Work on the weaver’s loom was often the only source of income for a weaver in the town.

The exposition endeavors to aquaint the visitor with the work procedure for domestic production on the various looms, including the products manufactured.

On display is a unique collection of seven manual, functional, weaver’s looms from the 2nd half of the 19th century and the implements for the preparation of yarn. Documented are textile manufactories, the beginning of industrial production and the founding of a professional weaver’s school in Frenštát in 1882, the first Czech school of this kind in Moravia. Later, the dyer’s trade played and important role as a further phase in the processing of linen and woolen fabrics.

A look into a workshop for blue-printing is installed, which is supplemented by a large collection of blue-printing moulds and samples of materials.

Also on display are guild mementoes, photographs, text-books, drawings and note-books etc. There is also a replication of a weaver’s loom at one’s disposal, on which the visitor can try his hand at weaving.