After the 1873 International Exhibition in Vienna, when it was obvious that the Austrian lace production cannot endure on the international level, a school for embroidery was established in Vienna immediately the next year. In 1879 it was followed by the Special studio for drawing lace patterns and the Central lace-making course. The latter had several missions: improving the lace-making, further education of lace-makers and teachers of lace-making, producing new lace patterns, inventing new lace-making techniques, providing higher incomes for lace-makers and starting organised sale of new laces.

Josef Storck (1830-1902) became the leader of the Central lace-making course and the supervisor of the branch lace schools in 1882. Within the Central lace-making course the needle lace courses were led by Franziska Pleyer, lace-making courses were led by Adelheid Richter and Johan Hrdlička led the pattern-drawing courses. The Municipal museum Idrija preserves numerous patterns by teachers and participants of the Central lace-making course.

The leading schools in lace-making areas of the monarchy were state-owned. They were considered as subsidiaries of the Central lace-making course in Vienna and had uniform statutes. Because they were organised as profitable establishments, the state was their provider. The Central lace-making course used to deliver and introduce new patterns and bought the products off. A local girl from Idrija, Ivana Ferjančič was summoned to the Vocational school for women's handicrafts in Vienna as a teacher after a temporary stay in Proveis in South Tyrol. On behalf of her suggestion the Lace School Idrija was established in 1876 and she was the first school leader. In 1895 Ivan (Johann) Vogelnik became the curator of the Imperial and Royal Vocational school for lace-making in Idrija.

Through a constant expansion of its territorial influence the Central lace-making course was renamed into the 'Imperial and Royal Institution for women's domestic industry' in 1908. Already in 1911 the entire sales department of this newly named institution became property of the company Österreichische Hausindustrie-Gesellschaft m.b.H. After WWI, when Idrija became part of Italy, Ivan Vogelnik and some teachers moved from Vienna back to Slovenia. In 1919 he established the Central institute for cottage industry. Even though the old inclination to the 'Idrija' tape lace beside the narrow ring - according to the Italian influence - returned after WWI, many a lace involves a fairly noticeable impact of Vienna.

Marianne Stang
summary: Marija Terpin



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