Craftsman Günther Plattner: working with your own hands

The master of this room is our in-house technician and master craftsman Günther Plattner. As a trained carpenter and sculptor, he knows how to work with the versatile raw material wood and how to create a wide variety of artworks from it. In our wood workshop, he is happy to pass on his knowledge to young and older artists and help them create unique souvenirs.

As part of the parent-child time, children are busy carving, sawing, rasping and filing in our wood workshop several times a week. Work is carried out at child-friendly workbenches, round painting tables as well as in a separate soldering corner. First, each child is allowed to choose a wooden blank in the desired shape. Guitars, swords, unicorns and, of course, our mascot Flammi are among our little guests' favourite figures. After a short briefing, it's finally time to get started: rasping, filing and sanding until every last rough edge is rounded off.

"The children should get to know the material wood first, because many of them have never seen it in this raw state before," explains Günther. "You can create so much with just a rasp and sandpaper." In keeping with Maria Montessori's philosophy, the children are allowed to decide and find out for themselves what they want to do.

"Sometimes I have to put the brakes on the parents a little when they are so eager to take over for the kids," laughs Günther. "The little ones should have the opportunity and, above all, the time to create their little work of art the way they want it. If there's a hole somewhere later or not, then that's how it should be." Of course, parents are allowed to help a little more with the younger children.

Günther's philosophy as a sculptor also goes in this direction. He is interested in expression and emotion, not perfect proportions or other standards. It is therefore important to him that the children in the wood workshop also experience how something can be created with their own hands and how it feels to have created something very special themselves.

Once they have painted their little artworks, the kids can of course take them home.

Whenever time permits, Günther continues to work on his own sculptures in our wood workshop. One of them – St Urban, the patron saint of wine and winegrowers – can be admired in our wine cellar.