Germany · Leather tanning; Material craft; Baden-Württemberg heritage
Reutlinger Gerberhandwerk — Lohgerberei
The leather tanning tradition of Reutlingen — a Swabian town that was one of Germany's most significant leather tanning centers from the medieval period to the 20th century, using the oak-bark vegetable tanning (Lohgerberei) tradition that produces the specific character of Reutlinger Leder used for bookbinding, saddlery, and quality leather goods. The Reutlinger Gerber reads the correct tannage penetration through a cross-section color assessment of a test piece — a destructive sample test that is accepted because it confirms the quality of the full hide before it is cut into finished goods.
Risk level: Endangered · Not listed; Reutlinger Gerberviertel on the Baden-Württemberg heritage inventory
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