Würzburg’s Wandering Woodworkers

Würzburg, Germany-

We spotted a group of wandering carpenters decked out in traditional Bavarian costumes in the Würzburg Bahnhof over the weekend. As part of their apprenticeships, several German handwork professions are required to travel for long periods of time and look for freelance work along the way to strengthen their skills. It is known as being on the „Walz“. That is no doubt the origin of the word for the famous old German dance called the Walz, don‘t you think?

And I have a suspicion that this German custom is also the origin of our current „Journeyman“ designation. The distinctive black-buttoned outfits date back over a century and as you can see, are still worn today. It is quite a sight to see amongst our modern clothing.

Generally carpenters go on the „Walz“ by the age of 30 and are bound by strict rules. Apparently the older men we met were part of a conference or a reunion.