Hessian Scratching Finery (Scratch Plaster)

The German Commission for UNESCO has declared Hessian Scratching Finery part of Germany’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. This traditional plastering technique can be seen on several buildings at the Hessenpark Open Air Museum.

Hessian Scratching Finery, also known in German as Kratzputz (“scratch plaster”), is a traditional decorative plastering technique used to embellish the panels of half-timbered buildings. Elaborately designed clay plaster surfaces have existed since around 1500, although only a few examples have survived to the present day.

The technique flourished during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Decorative motifs were scratched or stippled into still-moist lime plaster. Between 1900 and 1960, cement plaster was also used for this form of decoration.

Hessian Scratching Finery was not only widespread in Hesse, but was also practised in Franconia, Saxony, and Thuringia. In Hesse, the tradition was especially prominent in the regions around Biedenkopf, Marburg, Vogelsberg, and Dillenburg.

Today, only a small number of specialist workshops continue this craft tradition. One well-known example is the Donges family from Herzhausen, painters and decorators who have practised the technique for seven generations and still create decorative façades in the Marburg and Biedenkopf area. Institutions such as the State Office for Monument Preservation of Hesse and the Hessenpark Open Air Museum are likewise committed to preserving this traditional craft.

Visitors to the museum can still admire examples of Hessian Scratching Finery on the following buildings: