Our wandering boy in his carpenter’s gown

 Here you see the traditional clothing of a carpenter on his Walz, it is called „Kluft“.

The Walz refers to the wanderings of a craftsman who has completed his apprenticeship. It is also called wandering years or Tippelei.

From the late Middle Ages until industrialization, journeymen had to go on a journey if they wanted to be admitted to the master craftsman’s examination.

They had to get to know foreign regions and bring home new work practices and life experience.

During his travel time, the wandering journeyman was not allowed to enter a banishing circle of usually 50 km around his hometown, not even in winter or on holidays. He must always behave honorably and in a proper manner, so that the neighbor is also welcome. After a travel time of three years and one day, he can go home, as long as he is free of debt. The prescribed traveling time varied greatly at different times in regions and occupations.

The wandering boys had a golden ring in their ear. This was intended to bridge financial bottlenecks or, in extreme cases, to finance his Christian burial. If the wandering boy was caught in a serious misdemeanor, the ring was torn out of his ear, hence the expression „Schlitzohr“( a german expression that translates to „split ear“ and indicates that somebody is a bit of a criminal).

The gown makes any hiker stand out: Bell-bottoms, vest and jacket correspond in color to the tradition of the profession. The 8 buttons on the vest represent 8 hours of daily working time and the 6 buttons on the jacket mean 6 working days a week: this is to be seen as a constantly visible demand for fair working conditions and testifies to the self-confidence of the craftsmen.

The arrangement of the mother-of-pearl buttons on the flared trousers indicates which year of apprenticeship they are in; journeymen wear 4 buttons.

He usually travels with a stenz, a twisted walking stick.

The wide-brimmed hat serves to catch falling chips from above working colleagues, they should not slip into the collar. In addition, nails are kept ready in the brim of the hat. In traditional carpentry, only hardwood nails are used. The flap of the trousers prevented shavings from getting into the shoes. The folding rule in the pocket: inch measure according to the man – thumb width of a man, about 2.5 cm.

 

From the 18th century, however, the walz lost its importance. Factories emerged, training changed and technical schools took over the function of knowledge transfer.

At present, around 400 journeymen from Germany are on the road. Austrians only go on the road in isolated cases because the tradition is hardly cultivated here. There is also no shaft in Austria. Those willing to go on a journey can join a German Schacht.

Schächte are craftsmen’s associations that support journeymen on their wanderings. At the same time, they monitor the appearance and behavior of workers in foreign countries.

Today, not only carpenters are still on the Wander, but also journeymen of other trades such as joiners, blacksmiths, stonemasons, bricklayers, etc.

The journeyman’s book with town seals and work certificates is considered a passport in the EU.

 

Sources: Hans Roth: „Zunftherrlichkeit“, Rosenheimer 1981 and WIKIPEDIA, OÖNachrichten from 10.01.2019.