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Keeping Hungary's centuries-old coopering tradition alive

November 15, 2024

Forty-year-old Tamas Dosa is a third-generation cooper and one of the last barrel makers in Hungary. He is keen to keep this centuries-old tradition alive into the next generation.

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Hungary has been known as a wine-growing and barrel-making country since the Middle Ages. Entire villages used to specialize in making wooden barrels, vessels, tubs and buckets. 

Now, however, this handicraft is endangered in Hungary. Coopering is no longer taught in vocational schools there, and young people do not seem interested in learning this tough, but fascinating manual skill. 

Forty-year-old Tamas Dosa is one of the few coopers of his generation in Hungary. He hopes that his son will follow him into the business, ensuring that his beloved profession will not die out. 
 

Head shot of a women (Agnes Szabo) with long dark red hair
Agnes Szabo Berlin-based writer for DW's Hungarian service