Nesnovna kulturna dediščina

It sparkles and shines – The special Caps and Scarves of the Region

območje : Kulturpark Eisenstraße
kategorija : traditional craftmanship
In Kulturpark Eisenstraße there are nine gold hoods and Hammerherren groups who maintain the tradition of wearing old traditional dresses and their respective headgear. The oldest of them, the Gresten group was founded in 1954 and because of its uniqueness was even invited to the Vienna Opera Ball.
Besides gold caps and pearl caps there are also the artfully tied black scarves and women’s caps from the Erlauf valley. This is a regional specialty only worn with Erlauf valley tracht and consists of black velvet, a band and is decorated with gold embroidery. Because of the fact that the caps were earlier only worn by married women, the popular expression for marriage, “go under the cap” caught on and is still used today.

The traditional tracht of cap and head wrap wearers is in contrast to the dirndl as it is one-piece with long sleeves. Accessories are often crocheted gloves, a bag and a small bouquet of flowers. The male companions of cap and head wrap wearers are often dressed in traditional Hammerherren coats and top hats (cf. Hammerherren Tracht on page 37). The color of the coat always depends on the women’s dress, so there is often great diversity when these traditional festive dresses are worn.

The first gold caps of the region were worn in the 18th Century by the wives of the “black counts”, wealthy “Hammerherren” (owners of a smithy) of the region, as a sign of their prosperity. In contrast, the artfully tied scarves and pearl caps were worn on special occasions by women farmers.

Today the gold caps are traditionally worn at religious festivals and parades, on Palm Sunday, Corpus Christi or the harvest festival. A special event in the course of the year is the Assumption of Mary on 15th August. Each year on this day in a different village, the “Mostviertel gold cap and tracht pilgrimage” takes place. All the gold cap groups of the region participate, and painstakingly prepare bouquets of herbs, which are distributed to acquaintances, friends and family members. This tradition goes back to a legend that during her assumption, Mary was shrouded in flowers.

Gold and pearl caps are often passed down from generation to generation as an heirloom. It’s no wonder as there are 12-karat gold-plated decorative elements, which are embroidered in up to 300 hours of work. The material value of a cap alone, without including labour, amounts to approximately 1000 euro. The smaller and more delicate the decorative elements, the more valuable the finished piece. Depending on the shape and embroidery technique, the caps can be localized to a very specific area. Previously, due to its complexity and sophisticated technique, gold cap making was a craft that could only be well mastered after nine years of schooling!
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