Textile industry in Aachen
Overview of the textile industry in Aachen, Germany / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The textile industry in Aachen has a history that dates back to the Middle Ages.[1]: 175 [2][3] The Imperial city of Aachen was the main woolen center of the Rhineland.[4] Certain kind of woolens made there were illustrated as "Aachen fine cloth" (German: Aachener Feintuche).[5] These high-quality fine woolens have a plain weave structure using carded merino wool yarns, and a raised surface.[6] 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.[3]
The city's industrial importance stemmed from its status as a center of high-quality cloth production.[7] 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.[1][4]