Staatliches Textil- und Industriemuseum Augsburg

Description

In the Augsburg textile quarter the State Textile and Industry Museum (tim) preserves and interprets the region’s textile and industrial development. The exhibition spaces are located in a production hall of the former Augsburger Kammgarn Spinning Mill; the museum was established in 2010 by the city of Augsburg and Bezirk Schwaben and is operated by the Free State of Bavaria.

Its origins lie in civic engagement: in 1996 the Association for the Promotion of an Industrial Museum in Augsburg was founded, securing important machines. Also in 1996 the pattern books of the Neue Augsburger Kattunfabrik were secured, thereby preserving them as German cultural heritage. Following a framework agreement between the state, the city and the district, parts of the former Kammgarn Spinning Mill were acquired and the production hall underwent a comprehensive conversion between 2007 and 2010. The city, the state and the district shared in the investment costs. The museum was opened in early 2010 as part of a state reception.

The tim explains historical contexts and technical processes of textile production. The permanent exhibition focuses on spinning, weaving and printing in Bavaria, in Swabia and in the former Imperial City of Augsburg, tracing a line from the emerging weaver’s craft of the 16th century through manufactories and factories to the crisis of the 20th century. Across roughly 2,500 square meters the concept follows the guiding themes of People, Machine, Pattern and Fashion. Exhibits include a reconstructed museum factory with looms and modern production machines as well as an enlarged 1874 city map that makes historical locations visible.

The museum’s centrepiece is the textile sample archive of the Neue Augsburger Kattunfabrik: more than 550 pattern books with over 1.3 million designs, whose light-sensitive pages are presented as a walk‑in installation and digitally projected after digitization. A runway displays textiles from the Biedermeier period to the present; at the same time future topics such as new materials in fashion are addressed. In addition to the permanent exhibition there are rotating special exhibitions, scholarly work and educational programmes for all age groups. Children can follow an interactive museum trail to try out basic techniques; age-appropriate tours, lectures, workshops and themed evenings are offered for school classes and adults.

It has been criticized that the contribution of Jewish entrepreneurs to the textile industry up to the time of National Socialism was not adequately acknowledged; the department responsible, however, provides information on Aryanizations and the role of the companies affected, although the acquisition of material prior to the opening had been limited.