People have spun yarn and woven fabrics through thousands of years. It was a production which was predominantly carried out as homework or crafts. During the 1700s, though, a revolutionary process was started in England: work became concentrated in large units, equipped with machines powered at first by water wheels and later by steam engines. The industrial form of production spread from England to the European mainland and from there eventually to the rest of the world.
Tampere
In august 2010 I had the opportunity to visit Tampere, Finland, as a participant in the conference ”Reusing the industrial past”. What I discovered was a very nice city, with an impressive industrial heritage, a number of interesting museums and beautiful surroundings. More pictures from Tampere are to be seen on Flickr