Rudolf Hetzel grew up in Berlin and went to Sweden to learn the craft of silver- and gold-smithing. He travelled to Stockholm to study design. At that stage he was recruited by the newly established Kilkenny Design Workshops, to come to Kilkenny and set up a silverware and metal department. In a very short time, he had started his own business. This interview covers his building up a clientele, his perseverance with the business, his observation of how the people of Kilkenny city lived, worked and worshipped, as well as his integration into the community.
Keywords: silversmith, goldsmith, Berlin, Germany, integration, Kilkenny Design Workshops, business,
