The history of traditional bags can be traced back to the 18th century, when they became popular in many regions of Europe and especially in Germany. Here is a brief historical development of the traditional bags:
Samtbörse aus dem Besitz von König Ludwig I. von Bayern (1825-1848). Seidensamt, Metallstickerei, Seidenatlas, Posamentenarbeit, Silberbügel. München um 1840-1850
18th century: Trachten bags were worn in many regions of Germany and were often made of linen or cotton. They were decorated with embroidery or beads and had a simple rectangular shape.
19th century: In the second half of the 19th century, traditional bags were increasingly made of leather and decorated with traditional motifs such as buckskin, edelweiss or flowers. The shapes became more complex and varied according to region and social status.
20th century: During the 20th century, the popularity of traditional costume bags declined as fashion changed and modern bags such as handbags and backpacks emerged. However, in some regions of Germany, Tracht bags remained as part of traditional clothing.
Today: in recent years, Trachtentaschen have experienced a revival as traditional costume has become popular again and many young people are once again interested in traditional clothing. Modern traditional costume bags are made of leather or fabrics such as felt or velvet and are decorated with traditional embroidery and motifs. There is also a wide variety of shapes and sizes to suit the needs and preferences of the wearers.
Overall, traditional costume bags have evolved and changed over time, but they remain an important part of traditional dress in many regions of Germany and are now popular with many people outside these regions as well.
More than 200 years ago, the princes of Isenburg called a bookbinder monk, who was born in Stuttgart, to the court in Offenbach.
Heinrich Ferdinand Graf zu Isenburg Philippseich
He soon realized that the thriving jewelery industry also needed suitable caskets and cases for its made-to-measure pieces. An auxiliary trade was necessary.
LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION
The bookbindery of Mönch and his son Johann Karl soon produced caskets, cases, portfolios and wallets. In 1776 he founded the first "case and souvenir factory" in Offenbach. In doing so, he laid the foundation for one of the city's best-known and most successful industries: the leather goods industry.The raw materials – leather and skins – were sourced from Frankfurt. A large part of the buyers were also based there. Through the trade fair, they not only opened up national, but also international markets. The manufactory, which soon found imitators, was no longer dependent on the jewelery industry.Son Johann Karl Mönch, who continued the business with the merchant Issak de Jonge after his father's death in 1778, employed around 20 bookbinders, portfolio workers and carpenters with a good order situation.The pieces were made of leather and wood, decorated with saffiano, soft, dyed goatskin, and silk, embroidered, with or without locks - just as current fashion trends and buyers' tastes dictated.
LUXURY LEATHER THROUGH QUALIFICATION
However, the Offenbachers also set their own standards with the combination of skilful craftsmanship and creative talent:Quality came first: one worker was responsible for each piece in each production step, and in the eyes of the entrepreneurs, the division of labor was incompatible with high quality. But the Offenbach manufactories were still open to new working methods and in 1888 were described in a report by the Grand Ducal Chamber of Commerce as a "highly qualified luxury industry".
"Even today we work in our Offenbach leather manufactory according to the principle: Quality comes first. This is the only way to create the technically perfect and exceptionally beautiful traditional bags for the luxury label Dirndlblossom." Thomas Kappes, master bag maker, Offenbach Main
Within the leather goods industry, homework gained special importance with the manufacture of small leather goods. Such wage work, which would have been too expensive in Offenbach itself, provided employment in the rural suburbs and around the city - for example in Mühlheim, Bieber, Obertshausen.
WORLD FAMOUS LEATHER TOWN
The leather goods industry of the 19th century was characterized by an ever-increasing variety of products: purses, wallets and business card cases, women's bags, jewelry boxes, suitcases, toilet bags for home and travel, photo albums and shoe manufacture, to name just a few. Specialized companies developed that pressed, embossed, dyed and gilded leather, for example.
"Each dirndl flower is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, decades of experience and passion for design. The traditional bags are made by master craftsmen in Offenbach exclusively on request. This sets standards in the luxury segment." Dietmar Schröder, master bag maker, Offenbach Main
At the beginning of the 20th century, Offenbach had become a world-famous German leather city. To this day, the city of Offenbach is home to some fine manufactories that produce handbags and belts. The classic handicrafts of the region, which almost disappeared with the closure of big names, are currently experiencing a small renaissance. Businesses in the hands of first-class master bag makers with decades of experience produce the finest leather goods by hand for world-renowned brands as well as for German luxury labels such as "Dirndlblüte".
On February 8, 1792, Maximilian Joseph von Pfalz-Birkenfeld's fourth child was born in Mannheim. At the time, no one could have imagined that the proud father would have a stellar career in just a few years and become the first king to ascend the Bavarian throne.
König Max Joseph I von Bayern
The little daughter was named Charlotte Auguste Karoline. Her childhood was already interspersed with many fateful events. Very early, when Charlotte was just four years old, her mother died. Shortly thereafter, her family had to flee their homeland, as the unrest that had broken out there became too dangerous. In exile, Charlotte's father met Caroline von Baden, twenty years his junior, with whom he fell in love and married her shortly thereafter.
FIRST BAVARIAN KING
In the picture-perfect Baden princess, Charlotte and her three siblings found a kind and good-hearted stepmother who loved her stepchildren as her own.
Many years later, when Charlotte reached marriageable age at fourteen, her father was made the first Bavarian king. It was a move that also brought Charlotte and her siblings into the public eye. Bavaria owed its elevation to a kingdom to Napoleon Bonaparte, who at the time was reshaping Europe according to his wishes. Napoleon not only tried to achieve his goals through military conflicts, but strategic marriages were also on his agenda. Charlotte's older sister Auguste was the first to be drawn into this marriage policy. Napoleon wanted Auguste to marry his stepson Eugene de Beauharnais. If Auguste had not agreed to this marriage, the consequences for her family would have been serious.
MARRIAGE POLITICS AND WEDDING
When the wedding festivities began at the Munich Residenz, the stepmother was so afraid that young Charlotte would also fall victim to Napoleon's marriage plans that she had her youngest stepdaughter hidden away. Throughout the wedding, Charlotte was not seen. The young princess's absence did not go unnoticed. With the excuse - Charlotte had suddenly fallen seriously ill - they excused her absence. But despite all the stepmother's attempts to save her, Charlotte was also to suffer greatly from Napoleon's marriage policy, albeit in a different way than expected. Not only the European princesses and their parents met an arranged marriage at Napoleon's request with horror, but also the princes of the time tried everything to escape. Crown Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, for example, made up his mind to marry off as quickly as possible to "any" princess he could choose. Thus Charlotte came into his sights and he soon asked for her hand in marriage.
MARRIAGE IN MUNICH
On June 8, 1808, the solemn marriage of the two took place in Munich. It was a very chilly event. The groom behaved strangely. Even during the ceremony he was very distant towards his bride. When the newlyweds left the Munich capital for Württemberg, Wilhelm vehemently refused to ride in the same carriage as his wife. It quickly became clear that this marriage was made solely to protect him from Napoleon's marriage policy. To the great chagrin of the bride. Her stepmother reported, "Your husband is of an icy coldness. I understand that he cannot be in love. But why did he marry her if he will not even approach her? He didn't even shake her hand, let alone embrace her." The couple rarely saw each other. They inhabited the same castle, but Wilhelm had Charlotte's living quarters set up as far away from his as possible. The marriage was never consummated.
DIVORCE AND RETURN TO MUNICH
Napoleon's fall in 1814 brought a major change. Due to his loss of power, there was no longer any reason for Wilhelm to hold on to the protective marriage with Charlotte. He divorced her. Two years later, the marriage was even annulled by Pope Pius VII. The divorced Charlotte returned to Bavaria and moved into an apartment in her father's residence in Munich. At a time when marriage actually meant exclusively "until death do us part," she was released from her marriage vows and had to return home. Or was she perhaps even relieved and happy to have escaped this unpleasant situation?
Prinzessin Charlotte von Bayern
CHARLOTTE'S WEDDING WITH THE EMPEROR
The next husband was not long in coming. Charlotte's brother, later King Louis I, had already chosen a new husband for his little sister. It was to be Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, a brother of the Austrian Emperor Francis I. The Austrian state chancellor Prince von Metternich also had his eye on the Bavarian princess. However, not for himself, but for the emperor himself. This courtship differed significantly from the first one, because this time Charlotte was allowed to have a say and even helped decide which of the two high lords should receive her hand in marriage. The emperor himself or his brother.
Charlotte finally decided in favor of Emperor Franz I of Austria.
On October 29, 1816, the bride, who was married once again, walked down the aisle in the Munich Court Chapel, but without the groom. He was represented by Charlotte's older brother Ludwig. It was not until the wedding ceremony in Vienna that the twenty-four-year-old bride and the forty-eight-year-old groom were united at the altar. The Bavarian princess was henceforth Empress of Austria.
