As of: January 24, 2024, 11:38 a.m
By: Julian Limmer
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Works of art for the floor: Heike Maenz and her husband Ferri live for carpets - their shop Maenz Carpet Art has been around for 30 years.
© Marcus Schlaf
Fine carpets from all over the world: The Maenz family in the old town had particularly exclusive examples for over 30 years.
But now it will soon be over.
Heike Maenz strokes the velvety soft material.
Her fingers glide very slowly over the fine pattern.
Each square meter of the carpet consists of around a million knots, and almost a year of fine craftsmanship has gone into the piece.
“Carpets are images of the floor,” says the 62-year-old.
Real works of art – equal to paintings.
Her husband Ferri (84) coined the saying.
They both sit on a carpet.
Together they built the Maenz Carpet Art shop (Pacellistraße 5) - the shop existed for 30 years and some luxury items can cost six-figure sums.
But now it's almost over - the two of them are quitting due to their age.
“He lived for the carpets”
This was particularly difficult for her husband, says Maenz: “He lived for the carpets.” And he loves them more than anything – to this day.
Ferri comes from an Iranian carpet family: “He basically absorbed it with his mother’s milk,” says his wife.
As a young man he came to Germany, where he met Heike.
He passed on his fascination for carpet art to her.
“For me back then, carpets were something that my parents or grandparents liked, a little stuffy,” remembers Heike Maenz.
But she quickly changed her mind.
Her husband told her about knotting techniques and designs that all have a certain meaning.
“At some point it became much more to me than just a floor covering.” Art, in fact, a cultural asset that is over 2,000 years old.
Hand-knotted works of art from all over the world: there are countless of them to admire in the large shop.
© Markus Schlaf
Together they then ran the business in Munich and traveled to customers all over Germany or neighboring countries on weekends to advise them.
The couple explains that a carpet not only has to fit into their own home, but also to a person themselves.
Like the carpets that come from Iran, India, Azerbaijan and the Caucasus, her customers also came from all over the world.
“You have to experience it”
Even well-heeled buyers from the Arab Emirates arrived - some with bodyguards: "You have to experience it to believe," says Maenz with a laugh.
No wonder, some of their carpets are very exclusive.
For older specimens that have museum character, there is almost no upper limit to the price.
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But you don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get a great copy.
The shop also has carpets for a few hundred euros.
The quality still has to be right, that has always been important to them, says Maenz.
The sale with discounts will continue for a few more weeks.
After that it's over - there is no successor.