Prehistoric nettle dress

ÚĽUV brings flax, hemp and nettle closer to the public this year through various events. The stories of these unique natural materials, strongly connected with the history of the material culture of mankind, are fascinating. An example is the exhibition of the Center of Traditional Technologies from the Czech city of Příbor. The dress, made entirely from nettle fiber, as well as accessories such as nettle shoes, hairnet, burlap cloak and many others, are the result of ten years of intensive research and experimentation. Košická Galéria ÚĽUV hosts this impressive exhibition from April 26 to September 27, 2024.

In the project Prehistoric Nettle Clothes, the Center of Traditional Technologies Příbor (ČR) focused primarily on the utilitarian function of nettle textiles and their practical use in the everyday life of prehistoric man - during daily work, gathering or hunting. According to the authors of the exhibition, the nettle dress was a functional garment that had the task of protecting and also keeping warm. In their creation, they were based on the principles of mat production, which at that time found wide application even in the insulation of dwellings. Nevertheless, the cut of the dress, which was created by stitching two mats with strips of chamois, looks timeless. Other accessories use the practical properties of nettle fiber in combination with other natural materials, especially linden or forest grass.

All artefacts from the exhibition were created experimentally exclusively using primitive craft techniques, without modern technologies or metal tools.

The work on the creation of dresses, clothing parts and accessories took more than two years and approximately four thousand nettle plants were used for them. And the dresses are not just exhibits - they are functional clothing that has excellent insulating properties thanks to the hollow nettle fiber.

“In order to show the widest possible range of artifacts, we present the nettle women's garment in two planes. The first is a dress for a woman engaged in gathering, agricultural work and other activities characteristic of many archaic societies. The second plane was created on the basis of recent burial finds and represents a woman also in the position of a hunter," curator Václav Michalička explains the concept of the exhibition.

From the beginning of the project in 2012 through the Nettle exhibition in 2016 (presenting historical nettle objects from the collections of Czech and Slovak museums, which was awarded in the Czech national museological competition Gloria musaealis) to the current exhibition Ancient nettle dresses, the Center of Traditional Technologies has had a long history way. Accept a cordial invitation to a trip into the past to discover the amazing abilities of our ancestors.

Curator: PhDr. Václav Michalička, PhD.

Opening hours: Monday - Friday | 13.00 – 17.00

Location : ÚĽUV Gallery, Mäsiarska 52, Košice