Its colourful rugs woven from cotton, linen and leftover snippets of material are known not only throughout the Zillertal Valley, home to the Handweberei Zillertal, but far beyond. Visitors to the site can learn how these unique items are made and buy one to take home with them.
Fibre by fibre, millimetre by millimetre, Josef Waldner's rug grows. It is being made using a hand-operated machine which is more than 100 years old. Hard work, but more than worth it. Every single rug produced at the Handweberei Zillertal is a one-off. Unlike machine-made rugs, no two hand-made items are the same.
Josef Waldner and his wife Martina also make high-quality rugs from pure sheep's wool with no chemicals or preservatives. They are warm, cosy and hard-wearing. Josef is the third generation of his family to run the Handweberei Zillertal – but the machines are still the same ones used by his father and grandfather. Visitors interested in how these colourful rugs are made are welcome to join him on a tour of the factory.
Handweberei Zillertal also offers custom-made rugs where the customer can decide on the design and size as well as have pieces of material close to their hearts woven into the mix.
Fibre by fibre, millimetre by millimetre, Josef Waldner's rug grows. It is being made using a hand-operated machine which is more than 100 years…
