Wheel cover

Wheel cover from Feldkirch

Upper Swabian wheel cover (1800/1850)

Radhaube is an umbrella term for various on costumes belonging hoods in several regions of Europe . The Bodenseeradhaube is particularly well known. It developed from simpler hood shapes from the 19th century .

When it comes to wheel covers, a distinction is made depending on the material used, the textile technology used and the social status of the wearer. Silver and gold bonnets , chenille bonnets , fan bonnets , fleece wheel bonnets or citizen and patrician bonnets .

The Bodensee wheel cover

The history of the wheel cover in the Lake Constance area can be divided into three epochs. Origin and bloom in the 19th century, renewal of costumes from around 1920 and revival from around 1955.

The parts of the hood are named according to oral tradition from Feldkirch . There is hardly any literature on this. In other areas, fans of traditional costume who also deal with the manufacture of traditional hoods use partly different expressions.

The parts of the actual hood are the Bödele, the tip advance and the Streif. The Bödele consists of a curved cardboard covered with gold fabric. The strip is made up of a metal frame and a stiff hat-making material. It is also covered with gold fabric. The ornaments made of lamé lace are sewn onto the Streif and Bödele . The tip, colloquially the "Spitz", is the remnant of the dousette hood from the 17th century. It consists of a bobbin lace made of cotton, which is also supported by a gold-plated metal frame.

The most eye-catching part is the wheel that gives the hood its name. The ornament is made in a variety of motifs in lamé lace. It is made up of a total of seven threads. There are three different types. The most important thread is a so-called flat thread , also called flat, plasch or from the French lamé . In southern Germany, the term hollow point for this technique has become common.

The special thing about the lamé tip is that it shows its unique elegance from the front and back. Even if the motifs are repeated, they change in size and shape, since the wheel is not a regular circle. The bike is also supported by a metal frame.

The mesh is made of pure silk in jacquard weaving . In Feldkirch and all of Vorarlberg this is white. Corresponding tapes are hardly available anymore.

The Bodensee-Radhaube is worn in the various cities around Lake Constance in different variations. The mesh in St. Gallen is traditionally black. In various cities in southern Germany and also in Gressoney it is white with colorful embroidery. In both Eastern Switzerland and Vorarlberg there are a few silver hoods.

The wheel is made in Altstätten , Rorschach , Sigmaringen and some other places in the simpler, gold-bobbin lace, also called palmette lace. Another technique for golden wheel covers is a kind of network of gold threads on which patterns made of lamé are then applied. In some older hoods, cut stones or pearls were also incorporated. In Liechtenstein, numerous places in Vorarlberg, southern Germany and eastern Switzerland, black wheel caps are common. Again, there are differences in the design. In Villingen , the hood is still part of the costume and the figure of the Altvillinger of the Villingen Narro Guild .

As of 2010, the Bodensee-Radhaube in Laméspitze is listed as an intangible world heritage , as declared by UNESCO, in the national register of intangible cultural heritage in Austria .

Web links

• folklore.at
• History and manufacture of the Bodensee wheel cover

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bodensee-Radhaube in Laméspitze ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . nationalagentur.unesco.at