Wainwright

Wheels, runners, axles, towing bars – it is hard to imagine now that the construction of vehicles was once the preserve of skilled woodworkers. As specialist craftsmen, wheelwrights were indispensable in rural areas and in towns. They worked closely with blacksmiths to construct wagons, carts, sledges, carriages and also carried out repairs. The woodwork and metalwork needed to be complementary.

Take this opportunity to see how today's skilled craftsmanship impacts on historic items. In 2018, a wainwright was set up in the second room of the smithy from Bümpliz (1052). The equipment and tools were sourced from a workshop dating from the 1930s in Schneisingen AG which the owners at the time had given up. The equipment and tools have come from a workshop in Schneisingen AG dating from the 1930s which the present-day owners have vacated.