Prehistoric Nettle Dress

This year ÚĽUV is bringing linen, hemp and nettle closer to the public through various events. The stories of these unique natural materials, strongly connected with the history of material culture of mankind, are fascinating. An example is the exhibition of the Centre of Traditional Technologies from the Czech town of Příbor. Dresses made exclusively from nettle fibre, as well as accessories such as nettle shoes, a hair net, a bast coat and many others, are the result of ten years of intensive research and experimentation. The ÚĽUV Gallery in Košice hosts this impressive exhibition from 26 April to 27 September 2024.

Exhibition title: Prehistoric Nettle Dress
Address: ÚĽUV Gallery Košice, Mäsiarska 52
Opening hours: Monday – Friday | 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Date: 26 April – 27 September 2024
Curator: PhDr. Václav Michalička, PhD.

The project “Prehistoric nettle dress“ focuses mainly on the practical use of nettle fibres in daily life of our ancestors. Nettle dress was functional; its purpose was to protect and ensure thermal insulation. While the dress may look contemporary in the terms of its design, it essentially consists of two mats joined with stripes of buckskin. Other accesories make use of practical properties of the nettle, sometimes in combination with other materials such as bast fibre or forest grass.