Knife, essence of Albacete

Cutlery through history

The origin of the manufacture of knives of Albacete is attributed to the Muslim culture, may be its first outbreak Chinchilla, important enclave in the Islamic period. However, the first reports date back to the fifteenth century and the few references indicate preserved sixteenth century and some development, since this time are a pair of pliers made in 1573 by a teacher named Torres and scissors that belonged to the collection Rico Sinobas, being both the oldest examples of which are on record.

Already in the seventeenth century increased the testimony and many pieces are dated in the last third of this century, which reflects Albacete already had a prominent manufacturing, which was consolidated, without doubt, in the eighteenth century, when splendid Albacete knives for, despite legislative restrictions as dictated by Felipe V in 1721 prohibiting the use of knives or notice a year after the Council of Castile to the knife so that they do not manufacture such weapons and break existing ones. Because of these and other provisions began the decline of the guild system and famous people in this activity, like Toledo, fell into acute crisis. Only some schools workshops Albacete Catalans and maintained a high level of production and artistic.

In the nineteenth century, numerous reports indicate that the cutlery Albacete was known throughout Spain and in various parts of Europe. The most significant features of this century are, first, the undisputed production achieved considerable celebrity and despite fierce fighting commercial productions aliens, especially French, who invaded the Spanish market and the restrictions imposed by the strict laws, for Furthermore, no reference is observed in all sources for the scissors, coinciding with the virtual absence of surviving pieces, suggests that the clerk’s superb scissors were discontinued from the beginning of the century, and finally, the growing number of industrial seriation procedures.

Major outbreaks knife

In the seventeenth century 90% of the workshops were located in Shoemaker Street and a small group, 16% of those surveyed, at the Porte de Chinchilla. In the eighteenth century the site of the workshops are diversified, not localized in nuclei as defined and focused as before: Shoemakers street, with 32% of the standing orders, remained the most important center of focus, but lost weight in all the village, on the contrary, the area around the Puerta de Chinchilla not only maintained its importance, but expanded by some neighboring streets.

In 1847, as in the nineteenth century, 65% of the knife was concentrated in the center circle is the Plaza de las Carretas and in 1887, the San Jose district met 60% of the forges: only on the street Santa Quiteria lived more than 20% of the total registered professional cutlery. Today production is concentrated in the manufacturing sector, almost all in the Industrial Campollano.

In tribute to all those little shops that were established knife Gate Chinchilla, formerly known as the road Ayora, was renamed the Highway of Knife May 20, 2000.

The master and apprentice cutler

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the apprentice knife and had a contract which established the conditions between the master and he wanted to form. These agreements, entered into by the master and the apprentice’s parent or guardian, were held every notary (notary) and the signing of several witnesses.

The deal was that the Master Cutler took over the ward for the duration of learning, committed to teaching the craft, giving food, clothing, footwear, bed and honest life. At the end of the period of education should provide a dress of cloth of the earth, Ferreruela, jacket, shorts, socks, shoes, hat, shirt and Walloon everything must be new. I could not throw him out of his house, if it was for just cause, because what you should pay the appropriate time.

The apprentice is forced to live at home and serve the master cutler, could not leave his house and service. Failure to comply with treatment, the father promised to bring him back to the apprentice lost his service and he should pay the damages and damages.

APRECU is the cornerstone in defending the interests of the guild knife

The recent history of the twentieth century cutlery, particularly in the last decade, has been inextricably linked to the trajectory of the Provincial Association of Employers of the Cutlery and Allied Workers (APRECU), which has promoted important initiatives such as the signing of agreements collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the inauguration of the monument dedicated to the knife in the square of Altozano or implementation of the Foundation for the Development of the Knife (FUDECU), whose most significant goal has been to perform two projects that have seen the light at the dawn of new century: the School of the Knife “Amos Núñez” and the Municipal Museum of Cutlery.

The School of Knives “Amos Nunez, inaugurated in 2001, is configured as a training center, training and qualification for young women and men, unemployed and aged between 16 and 18, whose formation process has two years. Companies can apply for a skilled worker in a particular area and the school sends it already formed. It has also begun to teach a course Tooling, which not only benefits the cutlery industry but also other sectors.

In recognition of the work towards the promotion of our city through cutlery, Andrew Barber, president of APRECU, reveals that they have been awarded the 2007 Altozano Peña Cultural Association of Albacete in Madrid, whose president, Miguel Brazález, “we deliver it to the Hall of Knives on 9 September,” says, adding his satisfaction and pride in this recognition from Madrid.

Craft knife’s industrial production

The cutlery sector closed his career by the nineteenth century with difficulties to sell their products, a trend that will have its continuation in the early twentieth century, characterized by the abandonment of craft production that opened the way to industrial.

In 1925 operated 12 factories knives, plus numerous small shops and family, so that about 400 workers annually producing over 30,000 dozen knives. The boom enjoyed this time that was favored by the World War II but the isolation of the 50s created a crisis which impacted on the 1945 law banning pointed knives with blades exceeding eleven inches.

Both the National Cutlery Fair 1965 as subsequently happened gave impetus to this industry, which began the search for new markets. In 1975 there were 74 knife companies with a total of 500 workers, with about 40 of the family. During the following years was to produce the gradual modernization of many of the establishments, but the pieces that have given prestige to Albacete still becoming artisans.

However, the decade of the 80s began with the entry into force of the Regulation of Weapons of 1981 which prohibited switchblade knives, while beginning to get the first blades from Southeast Asia, two factors that have influenced the continuation of a crisis that is beginning to come out and twenty-first century, thanks to the efforts and perseverance that characterizes the sector.

Industry promotion through contests

A significant development that has occurred in the twentieth century has been holding competitions of cutlery. In 1926, the Fair in September, the City Council convened for the first time an event of this nature, considered the precursor of the various events that have marked the century, becoming a special relevance in the fourth quarter, especially since 1981 by initiative APRECU, which convenes every year several contests in the month of September. This year marks the fifteenth edition of García Carbonell Literary Contest and the Regional Competition XXVII edition of the Knife.

As a novelty, was instituted in 2006 Mayor of the Year Trophy Cutler intended to acknowledge the support of the sector for persons who, being outsiders, have worked for the cutlery. The Award consists of an exact, real size and by the same artist, of the right hand of the Monument to Cutler that is Altozano Square, which carries a knife. In its edition this trophy I was awarded the Mayor of Albacete, Manuel Perez Castell, and this year’s award-winning journalist José Sánchez de la Rosa, “a great defender from his books and newspaper columns seller of authentic old knives and profound knowledge of slang for having raised between forges and anvils, “says Andrew.

In order to promote the sector, the Municipal Museum of Cutlery convenes every year on Children’s Drawing Contest and Photography Contest. Also, to promote industrial knives to apply the design, FUDECU has promoted, in collaboration with the Museum, and the Regional Centre APRECU Design Mancha CastillaLa located in Cuenca, Applied Design Contest for Knives, convened for the first time this year . So far, there have been jobs, which is open throughout the month of September “to select those who are fit, which will be given money for the purpose of carrying out the proposed pieces,” says Andrés Barbero .

Collections of the Museum of Cutlery

The Municipal Museum of Cutlery collection on permanent display Caja Castilla-La Mancha and the collection APRECU.

In the month of June 2002, Caja Castilla-La Mancha bought the collection of knives Don Rafael Martínez del Peral and Forton, Marquis of Valdeguerrero. Formed over 33 years traveling auctions, second-hand dealers, slaughterhouses and markets in cities, towns and villages Spanish and foreign. An activity which he describes as little folly to which he devoted time and finances.

The result of this effort, there was a varied and rich collection of 500 pieces of priceless work of artisans from different populations of Spanish and other countries.

Collection Caja Castilla-La Mancha, of enormous scientific value gives us an overview of cutlery production at European level and allows us to establish similarities, commonalities and identities to move from local to universal.

As for temporary exhibitions, started in the museum’s inauguration with “Knives of Taramundi”, which was followed by “Knives and Navajeros Mudela Santa Cruz”, “El Gaucho and his knife”, “From Occupation, sharpener “and” Knives of Albacete in the twentieth century. “

In addition, part of the funds of the Museum of Albacete are currently in three separate exhibitions: at the Museum of Thiers, in Solingen Museum and the Museum of Sardinia.

Within the range of Cutlery Museum of Albacete, is the telematics system. The system infrastructure consists of a set of PDA’s or handheld portable than through a wireless network (Wi-Fi) can access the supply of telematic system of the museum and an interactive experience that allows to know more about elements outlined in it.

Moreover, this system through the PDA’s ensures accessibility to the disabled.

Since 2004, the House of Hortelano houses the Museum of Albacete Knife

On behalf of Joaquin Hortelano in 1912, architect Daniel Rubio built the eclectic building known as Casa de Hortelano which is opposite the Cathedral of Albacete, a unique building with Gothic façade of green tiles. This building, which consists of 450 square meters, became the Casa Cuna time and since the early eighties, when it was acquired by the Architectural Heritage of the City of Albacete, has hosted the Social Council of the University de Castilla-La Mancha, first, and later, Local Police headquarters and is now where the Municipal Museum of Albacete Knife, which opened on September 6, 2004 by the President of Castilla-La Mancha, José María Barreda .

Today, having been vacant units still occupied a local police are planned by the expansion of the Museum, for which the May 5 signing of a cooperation agreement subscribed between the Board, the Town Hall and Museum, under which regional government, through the public company Don Quixote, contribute one million euros, adding to the 600,000 euros provided by the Consistory.

With this second expansion, the Museum will have 1,000 square meters of space in their facilities that will accommodate more than 3,000 pieces, which under the terms of Andrés Barbero, APRECU president is very important because, ” currently there are many pieces stored in drawers and we want as soon as these pieces can be viewed in their cases for all museum visitors, want.

International Congress Knives

By the “Declaration of Albacete, Albacete mayors, Solingen (Germany) and Thiers (France) pledged to jointly defend the European manufacturing sector and in May 2006 was held in Albacete, an International Congress of the Knife, in the sector representatives from Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain signed an agreement to ask the European Union knife products exported by third countries taking their names of origin, which currently only requires that condition in packaging but not in the product itself.

In the words of Andrew Barber, “given that these procedures are time consuming, and you start seeing the fruits of the agreement, since a number of MEPs from different countries like England, France, Germany and, of course, two MEPs Castilian-La Mancha Miguel Angel Martinez, the PSOE, and Pilar Ayuso, by the PP, have signed a letter of support in requesting that all products pass through the border of Europe come with their source of manufacture, “he says.

AB-mark as a guarantee Cutlery

The AB-brand quality cutlery, municipal property, arose as a result of the work done by the Mayor of Albacete, Manuel Perez Castell, with representatives of the knife from Albacete to protect the sector from unfair competition suffered by products made in EU countries, especially Asian, while using this brand provides greater confidence to the buyer.

The AB-Cutlery brand is a seal of guarantee of origin certifying that the product is one hundred percent in Albacete. The conditions to be met by the employer to make use of this mark is that all raw materials are processed within the province of Albacete and the knife is assembled and finished in Albacete, which not only protect the jobs of sector but also direct and indirect suppliers. Brand AB-Cutlery is available to those entrepreneurs who wish to use to ensure that their products have been made in Albacete. Currently, according to Barber, is being used by nine companies, which, through APRECU, have applied to use the Town Hall and Mark Regulatory Committee, in charge of carrying out periodic inspections to verify that companies meet the conditions.

While Mark takes only one and a half on the market and so far has not made any campaign, continues Andrew, “little by little companies will adhere and among consumers and distributors is increasingly known, for which A circular is being prepared with a triptych, funded by the Diputación de Albacete, to be sent to all businesses in Spain, “concludes APRECU President Andres Barbero.