Plauen Embroidery Museum

The city of Plauen in Saxony became a centre for textile production from the late 19th century, specialising in lace embroidery. The museum occupies the villa and courtyard workshops of Max Vollstädt, built 1889-1902, which embroidered by machine on tulle netting. When the factory closed in 1996 the equipment was kept and a volunteer association was set up to maintain the machines in working order and demonstrate them for visitors. Tools, design drawings, pattern books and examples of finished textiles have been added to the collection. Displays explain the development of ‘Plauen lace’, a form of chemical lace in which the netting support is dissolved to leave the embroidery. They also explain the developments made by Vogtländische Maschinen Fabrik (VOMAG), which manufactured embroidery machines in Plauen from 1881 to 1938. The museum makes reproductions from patterns of the 1920s and 1930s for sale alongside the products of local manufacturers.