Judge's hat, bicorne, Hodernsau - curious headgear in the Museum Erding

Created: 12/24/2022, 08:00

By: Gerda Gebel

The bicorne hat presented by collection director Elisabeth Boxberger in the Museum Erding can be worn sideways or lengthways.

© Peter Gebel

Some curious headgear can be found in the Erding Museum.

Some of them have now been introduced.

Visitors also learned about history.

Erding – For many years they were completely out of fashion, but hats have been back in fashion for some time. Numerous historical examples can be seen in the Museum Erding.

A lecture there revolved around headgear of all kinds, to which Heike Kronseder was able to welcome numerous listeners as part of the KBW Advent calendar "Auf Weihnacht'n zua".

Museum director Harald Krause and collection director Elisabeth Boxberger presented treasures from the depot.

“Who has the hat on?” Boxberger asked the group and immediately got the right answer, namely the boss or the capo.

Until the 1960s, people never left the house without a hat, but they took it off when greeting or paying homage to a ruler.

Only those who were socially high were allowed to keep their hats on and thus had “hats on”.

The hat used to be an integral part of clothing.

Its shape and texture provided information about social rank, gender, religion or age.

The judge's hat, which was worn at court hearings, has been common since the Middle Ages to distinguish jurists from the common people.

The museum had received the judge's hat from the estate of Heinrich scratches, the former director of the Erding district court.

He passed away in January 2015 at the age of 92.

A noble piece of unknown origin is the dashing bicorne that Boxberger demonstrated.

The raised brim creates a point at the front and back, which explains the name.

The museum piece dates from around 1900 and was made from high-quality materials such as mohair.

It was once worn by high-ranking officials – lengthwise or crosswise.

The most famous "cross member" was Napoleon Bonaparte.

But most men would have worn it lengthways.

"It's also easier to fit lengthways through the door," remarked the head of collection pragmatically.

The red station cap, which only departure officials or train officials were allowed to wear, is also striking.

They should – when they gave the departure signal for the train – be easier to see in the crowd on the platform.

Boxberger was also able to explain why the red cap is also referred to as a "weaver's cap": "Max Maria von Weber, a son of the composer Carl Maria von Weber, introduced this cap in the 19th century." He was less inclined to music than to technology and made it to railway director.

In contrast, the red Santa Claus hat, which was given away as a promotional gift by the local brewery, is a contemporary mass product.

Originally, Saint Nicholas of Myra with his red bishop's hat was considered the bearer of gifts.

In the Lutheran faith, however, the veneration of saints was abolished and the gift day was moved to Jesus' birthday.

The Dutch "Sinterklaas" came to America and served there as "Santa Claus" as a model for Santa Claus.

The appeal of Santa Claus as an advertising ambassador was only recently seen when visiting the Coca-Cola trucks in Erding.

Using historical photos from an “Arnmarkt” or a horse race in Langengeisling, Boxberger showed how important it used to be for men to wear a hat.

An equally important utensil for women was the headscarf for a long time, which had numerous advantages: "It served as protection against sun and dust and was not as expensive as a hat," said the speaker, recalling the rubble women after the war, theirs did heavy work only with a headscarf.

The black headscarf that Boxberger showed has a special story.

"This Arabic hijab was left in the asylum waiting room in 2016," she explained, suspecting it must have belonged to a woman from Syria or Afghanistan.

Arab girls cover their hair with the hijab at the beginning of their first menstrual period, whereas in western culture the change from girl to woman only occurs at the time of marriage.

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The gray hat in Boxberger's hand, for example, comes from the former specialty store Friedberger.

© Peter Gebel

The black bonnet that the lady wore to church back then was much more elaborate.

It covered hair and ears and was the symbol of a married woman.

This also explains the saying "bring it under the hood", because after the wedding women in the Middle Ages had to hide their hair and were no longer allowed to wear it openly.

Pretty to look at, but without much function are summer hats, a bridal crown and a so-called Munich hat, which are kept in the museum.

The barred hood is attached to the back of the women's hair ring.

Today, the top hat is usually only seen in the circus, but it used to be fashionable all over Europe, explains museum director Krause.

The top hat emerged from the English riding hats.

First commoners wore it, later also the nobility.

The built-in mechanism of the "chapeau claque" with which it could be folded was practical for the journey.

Today the magician often appears in the circus wearing a top hat, but the museum top hat is empty.

"No rabbit in it," Krause regretted.

“Where do you buy a hat in Erding these days?” Some people ask themselves after the Friedberger hat shop on Langenzeile was closed more than ten years ago.

"In the Gewandhaus Gruber or at the flea market," was the answer from the visitors.

The museum keeps a real Friedberger hat, the appropriate memory evoked a historical picture from the hat department.

Today there is no longer a special hat maker in Erding.

A popular fashion accessory in the 1920s were straw hats, also known as “circular saws” because of their shape.

Farmers also wore them in the field, a plastic sweat plate was built in to protect against sweating through.

While in the past straw, velvet, silk and felt were used to make hats, today it is mostly cotton.

Finally, Boxberger named a special hat: the “Hodernsau”.

It is made from tinder fungus that grows on trees.

It is tanned with urine and put over a mold like leather.

"The hat just couldn't get wet - then it will return to its original mushroom shape," warned Boxberger with a grin.