The Schüttesäge Museum is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

in the town of Schiltach in the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

. It is located in the county of

Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has over 25,000 ...

in the German federal state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. The museum has exhibits on the themes of

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, tanning and

timber rafting Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mea ...

in Schiltach and the surrounding area in the Upper Kinzig valley.

History

The former church

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

(''Kirchensäge''), later called the Schütte Sawmill (''Schüttesäge''), (its owner was the publican of the ''zur Schütte'' inn in Wolfach), was first mentioned at this site in 1491. It was operated as a sawmill until 1931. Today it still has an undershot water wheel with a diameter of 7.20 metres that still drives the transmission machinery. The water-powered facility is a

protected monument In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The museum was opened in 1989 by the town of Schiltach.

Forest economy

The museum portrays the

industry and the working of wood, its use in timber-framed construction, its link to timber rafting (the manufacture of rafts from wood) and its link to the tanning industry (bark collection for the red tanners).

Timber rafting

Timber rafting Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mea ...

was a major source of income for Schiltach until the 19th century. The museum depicts the life of the rafters with photographs of the period and other contemporary documents, tools of the trade, work clothing, etc. There is an explanation of what was meant by a ''Gestörfloß'' and how it was made.

Tanning

Tanning was another important source of income in Schiltach, and there is still a white tannery there today. The various tanning technologies are portrayed, especially red tanning in the context of forestry, as well as tools and the history of Schiltach's tanning families. An outside area on the theme of tanning enhances the exhibition.

External links

Website of the museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:SchuttesageMuseum Timber rafting History of forestry 1989 establishments in West Germany Museums established in 1989 Local museums in Germany Museums in Baden-Württemberg Buildings and structures in Rottweil (district) Forestry museums