Discover Gutau: Indigo dyeing, churches and trails

Indigo dyeing brings together two distinctive features of Gutau: the Indigo Dyeing Museum and the annual International Indigo Dyeing Market. The history of the parish church and the various trails may also help you choose a hotel in Gutau. The topics range from a historic piece of equipment and textile techniques to routes with details about distance or duration. You can plan your trip according to which aspects you want to shape your stay.

Indigo dyeing at the museum and market

The centrepiece of the Gutau Indigo Dyeing Museum is a six-metre-long wooden cloth press. It is filled with 12 tonnes of granite stones and was used to smooth linen fabrics. The museum is housed in the former indigo dyer’s house, where indigo dyeing was practised until 1968. This brings together a piece of equipment with specific dimensions, the building’s former use and the history of the craft.

The museum also shows how indigo was used to dye fabrics and how patterns were printed using wooden blocks and cardboard. These techniques complement the story of the cloth press: alongside smoothing linen, they cover dyeing and pattern printing. Your visit can therefore take you from the equipment to the methods used to decorate fabrics.

The International Indigo Dyeing Market takes place every year on the first Sunday in May and has been held in Gutau since 2001. Blue dyers from several European countries meet there with linen weavers, textile designers and craftspeople. While the museum presents the craft and its working methods, the market brings together different textile professions and fields of design in a one-day event. If the market is a deciding factor for your stay, check the date and programme for the relevant year before travelling.

Parish church: history and architectural features

Gutau Parish Church was originally dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. After 1261, Saint Giles became its patron saint. Around 1400, the church acquired its present Gothic choir, the simple chapel beside it and its pointed-arch portals. The chapel is now used as a baptistery.

The history of the patron saint and the development of the building provide two distinct points in time: the change of patron saint took place after 1261, while the architectural features mentioned date from around 1400. Those interested in the church’s history can consider these periods separately rather than assigning them to a single date.

Compare trails by length and theme

The Outdoor Escape in Gutau takes around one and a half hours and follows a 3.5-kilometre route. You will need a smartphone and the free “Action Bound” app. Check the latest booking information in advance. The birdwatching trail offers a different experience: this educational trail focuses on bird habitats. Along the circular walking route, bird specimens are displayed in hollowed-out tree trunks, and bird calls can be played at the push of a button.

The birdwatching trail is about two kilometres long, starts at the exhibition room opposite the Indigo Dyeing Museum and is accessible with a pushchair. The two trails therefore differ both in theme and in the details given about the route: the Outdoor Escape is described by its approximate duration and 3.5-kilometre length, while the birdwatching trail focuses on birdlife, an approximate length of two kilometres and pushchair accessibility.

Other routes can also be distinguished by their themes. The Mysticism Trail passes a rock formation known locally as the “Russian hideout”. The pitch-oil stone is in Hundsdorf near Gutau, on the Reichenstein Forest Air Bathing Trail and the “From the Indigo Dyers to the Knights” walking trail.

Information about the walking trails in Gutau is available online, with details on duration, length and elevation gain. You can also create compact PDF files and download GPS data. Before setting out, check the download links if you want to use these details or files for planning.

Discover more destinations: Unterweißenbach, Liebenau, Schönau Im Mühlkreis, Grünbach, Windhaag Bei Freistadt, Freistadt, Unterweitersdorf, Kefermarkt.

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