Since the 15th century the white yarns which were spread out on the broad meadows lining the Wupper often gave the impression that it had been snowing. Wuppertal was once famous for its flourishing textile industry.

A company with a tradition of about 200 years is still big in its industry today: The Heckinghausen company Barthels Feldhoff, which has been producing shoelaces ever since. Nowadays the company also produces high-tech textile products.