Potsdam (dpa/bb)
Some traditional crafts are in danger of dying out in Brandenburg. But in arts and crafts or in small manufactories, old crafts find a niche to survive.
It’s cold in Marco Wichert’s small workshop in Gantikow near Kyritz (Ostprignitz-Ruppin) and some of the rooms are also dark. There is electricity in the old building, which he named after his great-grandfather “Zander Wood Studio” called, only via a cable from the neighboring house.
But Wichert spends almost every evening here to pursue his hobby, which became a part-time job a year ago: he makes high-quality chopping or serving boards from leftover wood, which he sells at various markets. Wichert has just returned from the Green Week in Berlin. There the hobby craftsman offered his products.
“Authentic experiences and products”
Whether old handicrafts, small workshops or traditional manufactories: “Authentic experiences and products” are an important part of tourism in Brandenburg, says Patrick Kastner, spokesman for Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg. From a tourist point of view, the “experience” is important. This means that visitors should be able to look over the shoulders of the craftsmen making pottery, planing or blowing glass – and perhaps lend a hand themselves.
According to Kastner, more than 280 such workshops are listed on the Reiseland-brandenburg.de website. Traditional handicrafts are represented by more than 210 companies. Among them are some crafts that have largely died out. The trimmings manufactory in Forst in Lusatia produces traditional and modern trimmings such as tassels, braids, fringes and textile cables, some of them using historical machines or by hand.
Wichert also relies on grandpa’s old files in his workshop. A small circular saw, a band saw or hand grinders – the hobby craftsman does not need more electronics. And when it comes to his wooden boards, he consistently values sustainability. All products are made from wood waste.
A lot of time and a lot of creativity
“I think it’s important to ask how these leftovers can be reused,” says Wichert. “You can flexibly get something out of everything.” Tree bark can be used as wall decoration – or for an insect hotel.
In his main job, Wichert works as an event manager and marketing expert in the hotel sector. He usually sits at his desk – and the results are usually not tangible. “There’s nothing haptic about it,” says Wichert. “I love it when I can hold the result in my hands at the end.”
Wichert takes plenty of time to work in the workshop. It takes four to five weeks for a serving or cutting board to be ready. Grinding, sawing, oiling – all of this takes time, and the epoxy resin has to harden first. But his pieces are unique and even have their own names. For example, one serving board is called “Apple country” and another is called “Gone nuts”. Wichert used walnuts for this, for example, which he poured into the wood. He made stain from the nutshells, and in another jar he pickled rusty nails in vinegar to get stain with a special hue.
Many professions are gradually dying out
Every purchase in the small workshops helps to preserve these traditions, says tourism spokesman Kastner. Even if some old trades survive as tourist attractions or arts and crafts, their number is declining noticeably, as confirmed by the chambers of crafts in the state.
According to the information provided, there is only one brush and brush maker, four bookbinders or three piano tuners in the district of the Frankfurt (Oder) Chamber of Crafts. The Cottbus Chamber of Crafts, which is responsible for the southern part, names three trades that no longer exist locally. The last rope maker stopped working in 2003. Since 2019 there is no more glove maker. The profession of umbrella maker has also died out in the chamber district for two years.
Nevertheless, Jana Kuste from the Potsdam Chamber of Crafts is convinced: “Crafts will not die out”. There were a total of 137 saddlers and so-called fine bag makers in Brandenburg in 2021 – 13 more than in 2019. “And that,” emphasizes Kuste, “in a trade in which some certainly do not suspect a “growth industry”.
Old professions in transition
Other trades are in the process of modernization, for example the stonemasons, who have to react to a changed cemetery culture. Some companies have shifted their activities to other areas, such as kitchen and staircase design, says the spokeswoman for the Chamber of Crafts.
And not every trade requires a master’s degree. So ceramists or gold and silversmiths can also register a trade on the wall without the master craftsman’s certificate. Marco Wichert from Gantikow also benefits from this: For his small products, some of which are handicrafts, he did not need to prove any qualifications. Small accessories such as earrings or pendants made of wood are to be added to his range in the future.
