Flachsanbau

Flax Cultivation: Flax (Linum usitatissimum) has been cultivated in Austria (in particular in the Alpine regions, as well as in the Waldviertel region and Mühlviertel region) for hundreds of years and is used in the production of long fibres for manufacturing linen (spinning mill in Lambach), artificial fibres (renewable raw materials) and producing seeds for baking and oil extraction. However, the cultivation of flax has been in decline since around 1950. The processing of flax, known as "breaking", went hand in hand with a wealth of traditions and customs in former days, today the fibres are obtained by retting, drying, crushing, and beating the fibres in special machinery designed for this purpose (for example in Pausendorf, Styria). Extracting the oil, which is technically simpler, is becoming increasingly popular. - The processing of flax up to the finished product and the machinery necessary for the processing can be seen at the weaving museum in Haslach an der Mühl (Upper Austria).