The Cantonal Parliament Sets Positive Signs - Textile Museum St. Gallen
18.09.2025 | from Textile Museum St. Gallen
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18.09.2025, The St. Gallen Cantonal Parliament has decided to support the Textile Museum St. Gallen's renewal project with 13.9 million Swiss Francs.
With great joy and gratitude, the Textile Museum St. Gallen acknowledges today's decision by the St. Gallen Cantonal Parliament to support the renewal project with a contribution of 13.9 million Swiss Francs. The positive decision marks a historic moment for one of the oldest textile museums in Europe - and for the entire Eastern Switzerland.
"We are grateful for the trust that the Cantonal Parliament's decision places in our institution and our future plans," says Carmen Fleisch-Otten, President of the Textile Museum St. Gallen's Board of Trustees. "The renewal of the building and the associated realignment will enable us to further develop the Textile Museum as a vibrant place of encounter, education, and international exchange."
A strong signal for the cultural identity of Eastern Switzerland
With today's approval, the canton of St. Gallen clearly commits itself to the significance of this cultural institution for the region. With its over 140-year history, the Textile Museum is not only a key guardian of the Eastern Swiss textile heritage, but also a place that builds bridges between history, innovation, and society.
"The Eastern Swiss textile history is world history. That the canton recognises and actively supports this responsibility is a strong signal for the future of our cultural identity," continues Carmen Fleisch-Otten. The reduction of the originally requested support from the canton of St. Gallen from 14.5 million to 13.9 million Francs is regrettable but does not endanger the overall renewal project.
A project with supraregional appeal
The planned architectural and utilisation concept not only envisages comprehensive structural renewal but also a contemporary repositioning of the museum. Alongside innovative exhibition spaces, newly conceptualised mediation rooms, an open textile workshop, and a forum for research and exchange will be developed.
Through the planned investments, the museum will be strengthened as a place of education and encounter for all generations – and will simultaneously gain in tourist and economic importance for the entire region.
A community project
Our gratitude extends beyond the canton to our funding partners, sponsors, and numerous personalities from culture, business, and politics who have supported the project ideologically and financially from the start. Today's decision is a joint success, and the Board of Trustees is optimistic that the canton's commitment to the Textile Museum St. Gallen will set a positive impulse for the upcoming city council vote.
The national recognition by the Federal Office of Culture, the canton's funding commitment, and the granting of building permission assure the Board of Trustees that the still-missing private funds can be raised, so that nothing stands in the way of construction starting in 2027.
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Textile Museum St. Gallen
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Textile Museum St. Gallen
The collections of the Textile Museum and Textile Library St. Gallen trace their origins back to the 2nd half of the 19th century and are rooted in the tradition of trade museums and pattern collections, which were established across Europe during that time.
They were intended to serve the industry as inspiration and as a model for their own production, as well as to cultivate "good taste." In 1863, the Commercial Directorate - the association of St. Gallen merchants - began to purposefully collect pattern templates worldwide for local producers and systematically expanded the existing collection. The museum was founded in 1878.
Over time, the collection was expanded through acquisitions, and especially through donations of significant private collections and archives of the textile industry. Of great importance is the collection activity of the manufacturer family Iklé. The museum remains committed to its founding idea of being a source of inspiration for designers and creators.
Source: Textile Museum St. Gallen, Press release
Original article published on: Der Kantonsrat setzt positive Zeichen - Textilmuseum St. Gallen