Today only street names remind of this craft

 

Tanning is a very old craft that can be traced back to the Stone Age. This is not surprising, because even then there were simple stone tools for scraping and cutting, as well as skins that were pulled from hunted animals. The tannery processes the animal skins and makes leather from them. Especially in the Middle Ages, leather was very important for making clothes, which is why tanning was a common craft. Just as old as tanning is the use of wool from domesticated sheep. Cotton, which is widely used today, is also old, but did not spread globally until the beginning of the nineteenth century.

 

Tanning was a matter of strengthening the animal skin so that it became leather. If it was peeled off, it quickly dried out, and if it came into contact with water, it even threatened to rot. To prevent these processes, tanning agents were used. In the beginning, these were fats or oils, and later on, they were also used in the form of oil of tran or tree bark extracts.

 

However, tanners suffered from a bad reputation, because those who worked with animal hides ran the risk of catching diseases such as anthrax through the decomposition process or via the pathogens contained in the hides. In addition, the hides and the tanning agents sometimes spread very bad odors, which is why the tanners were shunned.

 

In Schiltach, there is the Schüttesäge Museum, which is dedicated not only to rafting but also to the historical development of tanning in the Black Forest. Apart from that, this traditional craft has been preserved in several names. Villingen, for example, is not the only town to have a "Gerberstarße" ("tanner's street").