Olbernhau Pairs Traditional Woodturning and Bobbin Lace Making in New Partner Course

A new partner course in Olbernhau puts two of the Erzgebirge's most storied hand crafts side by side: drechseln and klöppeln, woodturning and bobbin lace making, sharing the same workshop floor at once.

The listing from Drechslerei Heiner Stephani describes the Partnerkurs as an opportunity to turn wood and make bobbin lace together in the workshop, with a companion introductory bobbin lace course also available for children and adults. It's a pairing that makes a certain cultural logic: the Erzgebirge built its reputation over centuries as one of Europe's most important producers of wooden goods, and today the region is best known for its lathe-turned Christmas figures, from Smoking Men and Nutcrackers to Candle Arches and Pyramids. Bobbin lace, or Klöppeln, has run parallel to that woodturning tradition for just as long, and the two crafts rarely get taught in the same room.

Heiner Stephani's workshop, located at In der Hütte 9 in 09526 Olbernhau, teaches turning directly in the working shop, catering to beginners through experienced turners. Three-day seminars are the standard format for learning or deepening your skills on the lathe, with courses offered year-round on request outside of the Advent season.

The partner course concept is a natural extension of that flexible model. Rather than booking separate trips for two different craft schools, participants can bring a partner with different interests, or simply tackle both disciplines themselves. Standard courses run three days at six hours each, with the introductory taster format condensed to a single six-hour day. Everything turned on the lathe goes home with you, and all practice materials are supplied by the workshop.

The Erzgebirge and woodturning have coincided for over 200 years, and Olbernhau sits at the centre of that history. The city has long been the home of tool smith workshops, machine manufacturers, and suppliers that sustained the regional craft industry for two centuries. Slotting bobbin lace instruction into that same space isn't a gimmick; klöppeln is woven into the same regional identity as the lathe.

For woodturners considering a trip to the Erzgebirge, this is the kind of course worth organising a travel itinerary around. The chance to put in lathe time in the region that essentially defined German craft turning, with bobbin lace available in the same session for anyone who wants it, is a combination you won't find at your local turning club. Booking is by arrangement directly with the workshop.