About us
From the scene. For the scene.
Twenty years ago, there were no ready-made product ranges for medieval enthusiasts. Anyone who went to markets and wanted to wear authentic garb had to barter, sew their own or build up contacts with craftspeople. It was out of exactly this situation that Vehi Mercatus emerged – founded by people who were themselves part of this world and who began commissioning craftspeople, having certain items made not only for their own use but to sell in modest quantities.
What began small back then is today a company with more than 20 years of history – and one of the most comprehensive ranges for the Middle Ages, reenactment and LARP in the German-speaking world. Not through growth for its own sake, but because the demand from the scene has grown – and we have grown with it.
Travelling merchants, traders, online shop
For many years we were on the road ourselves with market stalls in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy. Not as observers, but as participants: at markets such as the Vienna Medieval Market, the Munich Medieval Advent Market, the Burghausen Castle Festival, the Peter and Paul Festival, the Eggenburg Medieval Market or the South Tyrolean Knights' Games – and at large events such as the Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum, the Drachenfest or the Conquest of Mythodea. During this time, belts and bags were created that were made directly at the stall. It was a time when you could sense what customers really needed – not from market research, but from direct conversation.
As the online business grew, we shifted our energy there. Since 2018, Daniel Liebl as Commercial Director and Stephan Burghart as Managing Director have continued to run the company together. The closeness to the scene that has shaped Vehi Mercatus from the very beginning has remained.
Our own brand: materials that suit the purpose
For our own Vehi Mercatus brand, we rely exclusively on cotton, linen and wool. Synthetic fabrics are not used – not because there is a rule, but because they simply do not do justice to the visual requirements of historical garb.
For our own collection, we have fabrics made exclusively to our specifications at a weaving mill. The trims we use are also produced to our specifications – not mass-produced goods, but accessories that match the rest of the garb.
We hand-dye our own-brand leather shoes at our premises in Rinchnach. The starting point is natural brown leather, which acquires an antique look through the hand-dyeing that differs noticeably from industrially dyed leather. If you would like to see the difference: we carry both variants.
Product design and pattern-making for our own collection are also done in-house. Production is handled by partners with whom we work closely.
How we select products
Our range grows from two directions: either we see a gap – because customer enquiries show that certain products are missing – or our manufacturers bring new products to market that we then examine. We only take on what convinces us in terms of materials, workmanship and functionality. Products that do not meet these requirements are not added to the range. Items that do not prove themselves in trade are delisted.
That sounds self-evident, but it is not always so. A range of more than 11,000 items requires active curation, not passive accumulation.
Who we are here for
We support beginners looking for their first garment just as much as experienced reenactors who want to refine their appearance further. Somewhere there is a limit: anyone who needs a piece made from hand-woven fabric to a region- and period-specific cut is moving into an area that requires bespoke work. That is not our field – and we say so openly.
By far the largest part of the scene finds what it is looking for with us. And it is precisely for this part that we work.
Our country shops
Vehi Mercatus supplies customers far beyond Germany. For nine further countries we operate our own shops in the respective national language – so that medieval enthusiasts throughout Europe can shop without a language barrier.
Germany • Austria • Switzerland • France • Italy • Netherlands • Spain • Sweden • Denmark • England
What others write about us
- Between AI and chainmail – In Böbrach, Daniel Liebl has built up an online shop for medieval equipment
Passauer Neue Presse, Heimatwirtschaft, 6 August 2024 • To the article - From analogue to digital – and back again
Passauer Neue Presse - E-commerce meets the Middle Ages
Passauer Neue Presse - Here the Middle Ages come alive
Regional press, no. 35/2021 - Interview on the programme Zeit für Bayern
Bayerischer Rundfunk, BR Heimat
Rinchnach, Bavaria
Our warehouse and office are located in Rinchnach in the Bavarian Forest. From there, parcels go out every day to customers throughout Europe and beyond. If you would like to visit us in person: we can also be reached on site.
BL Produkte GmbH • Rosenau 16a • 94269 Rinchnach
Tel: +49 (0) 9921 7099 288 • shop@vehi-mercatus.de
Mon–Fri 8:00–12:00 and 13:00–15:00
