Whether big or small shopping town – the image of the branches and logos is almost the same everywhere. In order to bring more individuality back into Lienz’s city centre, the local craftsmen are now to be brought in front of the curtain, as city developer Oskar Januschke explained: “The small manufacturers and craft businesses that produce themselves are the pearls of our regional economy. In order to offer them a special stage, we want to follow suit in the shops in the city centre.”
An example would be a drugstore in Lienz, which has been making hand-made candles as well as spice and tea blends for decades. However, since this is done hidden in the back room, the traditional know-how remains hidden. There is also a leather manufactory in the middle of the city. Deerskin trousers and satchels have been produced there quietly and secretly in the eighth generation for 250 years. However, this is only known among enthusiasts.
Information and applications:
Municipality of Lienz
Location development, economy and marketing
main square 7
9900 Lienz
[email protected]
Tel. 04852/600-223
Step in front of the curtain together
It is precisely such small businesses that should now learn to put their products in the foreground and in the center of the city, according to Januschke: “The small businesses enrich the cities because they do very individual things. Our inner cities are not so uniform, but become a personality. Both need the frequency – that could lead to a very good symbiosis,” he said with conviction.
In order for this to succeed, the municipality of Lienz has submitted the leader project “Manufactories and handicraft production” to the EU. In a two-stage process, the participating companies should be given the opportunity to present their products and talents to a broad audience and to achieve more through cooperation.
Manufactories as “pearls in a chain”
Interested companies can register for a “shop or company scan” in the first phase, during which they will be advised by experts on how to position their products and services. For 15 companies, the costs for the conception as a manufactory are taken over with an initial design concept from the municipal economic development project. As a second phase, a separate investment program will be provided for strengthening and developing into a craft production facility.
Examples from Switzerland show: By bringing the manufactories back to the city, a kind of shopping experience can be planned through the city. “If you look at the history, you could also attach guild signs to the buildings to communicate that a commercial enterprise works here. You could also bring the manufactories of a city together as a chain of different pearls via common shop windows or pathways,” Januschke spun the idea further. In Lienz, however, everything is still in the early stages.