Klekljanje v Polhovem Gradcu (ENGLISH BELOW)
Klekljanje ima v Polhovem Gradcu in okolici tradicijo, ki sega mnoga desetletja nazaj. V našem kraju je od leta 1906 do leta 1948 delovala čipkarska šola. Pozneje je klekljanje precej zamrlo, povsem opuščeno pa ni bilo nikoli. Leta 1992 je bil organiziran prvi tečaj klekljanja. Zanimanje je bilo nepričakovano veliko; tako sta prvemu sledila še dva. Ti tečaji so dali udeleženkam osnovno znanje. Nekatere so želele učenje nadaljevati. Sledili so usmerjeni tečaji, tem pa pogosta srečanja ob "punklju", ki tečejo še danes.
Polhograjske klekljarice smo leta 1996 ustanovile društvo, prvo svoje vrste v Sloveniji. Ima 22 članic in enega člana. Društvo vsako leto pripravi samostojno razstavo čipk in sodeluje na razstavah Združenja slovenskih klekljaric in vseh, ki imajo radi čipke. Polhov Gradec je v zemljepisnem območju "dežele idrijske čipke", kar daje polhograjskim klekljaricam možnost pridobitve klekljarskega certifikata. Članice društva so posebej ponosne, da čipke ročno všivajo. S tem in s skrbjo za natančno izdelavo čipk se pridružujejo prizadevanjem Združenja slovenskih klekljaric in vseh, ki imajo radi čipke, da bi bila slovenska čipka znana doma in v svetu in bi dosegla veljavo, ki si jo zasluži.
Dejavnosti društva:
- skrb za izobraževanje in izpopolnjevanje članic in članov v klekljanju,
- prenašanje veščine in znanja klekljanja na mlajše generacije,
- raziskovanje in zbiranje izdelkov, vzorcev in pripomočkov iz preteklosti,
- populariziranje klekljanja s priložnostnimi razstavami in na prireditvah,
- sodelovanje in druženje z enakimi ali sorodnimi društvi doma in v tujini.
- prenašanje veščine in znanja klekljanja na mlajše generacije,
- raziskovanje in zbiranje izdelkov, vzorcev in pripomočkov iz preteklosti,
- populariziranje klekljanja s priložnostnimi razstavami in na prireditvah,
- sodelovanje in druženje z enakimi ali sorodnimi društvi doma in v tujini.
Lacemaking in Polhov Gradec
A lace school was active in Polhov Gradec from 1906 to 1948, taught by instructors from Idrija, the heart of Slovenian lace. One of the last students was Mrs. Marijanca Yartz, the president of our Lace Club. Since our village is located in the historic region of Idrija lace-making, we are authorized to use the Idrija lace trademark on our creations, provided they are made in the traditional Idrija style.
Later, lace-making declined considerably, but it was never completely abandoned. In 1992, the first lace-making course was organized. Interest was unexpectedly high, so two more courses followed. These courses provided participants with basic knowledge. Some wanted to continue learning. This was followed by specialized courses and frequent meetings at the "punkelj," (bobbin lace pillow) which led to the establishment of our Bobbin Lace Club Polhov Gradec.
We are 22 ladies and 1 gentleman, our dear "uncle" Max, who has since passed away. While he was unable to make lace in his final years, he still created beautiful embroidery in his own special style. The number of members has remained consistent, with a few members having since left and new ones joining.
About half of our members are active lace makers. We were honored when our president, Mrs. Marijanca, was selected in 2008 as one of eight experts for the Leonardo da Vinci project, an international, EU-funded initiative focused on lace making.
Our club, the first of its kind in Slovenia, was established in 1996 to promote manual lace making over machine-made lace. We have held numerous exhibitions over the years, each centered around a specific theme, including hearts, decorative table settings, bookmarks, fashion items, and historical and contemporary laces.
With generous help from various local businesses, we published a calendar in 2006 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lace School at Polhov Gradec and our club's 10th anniversary. This calendar features not only Idrija lace but also German and Bruges lace, reminding us that our Slovenian tradition is an integral part of Europe's lace heritage. We also developed a series of postcards.
We meet on Fridays in my home, in what we call the "lace room." Additionally, we have a small permanent exhibition of contemporary laces in one of the castle rooms, where we also display some of the few remaining documents from our village's lace school.
Main Purpose and Activities of our Club:
- providing education and training in lace-making for members,
- passing on lace-making skills and knowledge to younger generations,
- researching and collecting products, patterns, and tools from the past,
- promoting lace-making through occasional exhibitions and other events,
- cooperating and socializing with similar or related organizations at home and abroad.
