Transcript: #10 Social life and leisure

Marcel Anderwert

Here we are at the place where the first larger textile factories in the community were established. Around 1850 Johannes Zähner initially produced linen fabrics in the former factory at the end of the street. Soon the looms were replaced by hand embroidery machines. Only 23 years later the factory had to be enlarged. He built a three-storey factory with a total of 36 hand embroidery machines next door on the site to the south where the single-family house and the commercial building are located. This factory existed for 72 years, then it was demolished in 1945. The owners at the time were able to sell it to Waldstatt where it was rebuilt. Connected to this factory was also a cutting room. The cutter had to be driven by hand. Again, and again Zähner noticed that even his best people got tired by the monotonous work and suddenly fell asleep. He developed the idea of using the waterpower of the Holderen brook. He put the plan into practice around 1855 by building the so-called 'Uusschniidi' (now the Waldheim Founders' House) and a turbine house. This made it possible to automate the monotonous work. The owners house no. 33 by the site plaque at the road junction also belonged to this company. Until a few years ago Hans Solenthaler still produced textile ribbons in the factory building to the west of you. Hans, what was the working atmosphere and social life like in your factory?

«In the past the work pace in the factories was much slower. Of course, one worked all the time and longer but there was much less stress. For example, on Monday after the ‘Landsgemeinde’ (cantonal assembly, a public non-secret voting system, the oldest form of direct democracy) the men who showed up for work first cleaned the factory. Some of them would not have been able to work yet! The women also helped out a little. On those Monday afternoons the ‘Narrengemeinde’ (humorous mockery of the Landsgemeinde) and the fire drill took place. It started at two o'clock, not at four or six o'clock like today. By Tuesday, everyone was more or less fit for work again.»

Now we heard a lot about the work of the embroiderers. But there was also rest time. Erna Fischer, the daughter of an embroiderer, tells us about a typical Sunday in her embroidery family:

«I was allowed to help dust off my mother's treadle sewing machine, cover it with a wooden box to protect it, and cover the whole thing with a cloth. I remember my brother saying that this was the sign that it was Sunday. On the table in the living room, where there was now no more work, mother laid a tablecloth. That was Sunday for us. On Sunday afternoons we younger children often went for walks with our father. We usually stopped at the restaurant ‘zum Gupf’ because my parents knew Oertlis (the Gupf innkeepers). It was always very cozy; we played on the swing, and before we went home our parents bought some of the famous Gupf cheese.»

Jeanne Devos

Now that we have walked through the village with you, I realize again how textile history is still present in the village, how many things remind us of personal stories and experiences. Life was not easy for the families: dependencies on the factory owners, economic crises, poor sideline opportunities, child labour, and bad transport routes. People were able to cope with it, but they did not always feel comfortable. Not everyone remembers those times fondly. The outsourcing of textile production to foreign countries has already taken place for a long time, and people are engaged in a variety of other occupations. Thanks to innovation, creativity, new professions, and better mobility, the economic structural change was able to gradually adapt to the new conditions over the years. The houses built for textile production at the time have been renovated and converted. The municipal roads have been preserved as they were once built. New quarters and new buildings have been added. But the face of the village and its identity have been preserved. This brings us to the end of our little tour. However, we have only been able to show you a small section. I cordially invite you to continue exploring Rehetobel yourself. Look for hidden corners, talk to the people and get to know the village and its surrounding. It is a journey of discovery that is worthwhile. Marcel Anderwert and I thank you for your attention.

Marcel Anderwert

We would like to leave you with a small musical treasure, the «Rehetobler Lied». Linger a little longer and listen to the sounds and lyrics of a very special village. Jeanne Devos and I wish you all the best and come back soon to «Rechtobel». (The Appenzellers say «Rechtobel» and not «Rehetobel».)

«s ' Rechtobel», a song by Hans Sonderegger and Hans Schläpfer.