Józef Dąbrowski (Łódź, July 2008)

Paper Manufacture in Central and Eastern Europe

Before the Introduction of Paper-making Machines
A múltat tiszteld a jelenben és tartsd a jövőnek.
(Respect the past in the present, and keep it to the future)
Vörösmarty Mihály (1800-1855)

Introduction……1
The genuinely European art of making paper by hand developed in Fabriano and its further
modifications… ...2
Some features of writing and printing papers made by hand in Europe……19
Some aspects of paper-history in the discussed region of Europe……26
Making paper by hand in the northern part of Central and Eastern Europe……28
Making paper by hand in the southern part of Central and Eastern Europe……71
Concluding remarks on hand papermaking in Central and Eastern Europe before introducing
paper-making machines……107
Acknowledgements……109

Introduction
During the 1991 Conference organized at Prato, Italy, many interesting facts on
the manufacture and trade of both paper and books in Europe, from the 13th to
the 18th centuries, were discussed. Nonetheless, there was a lack of information
about making paper by hand in Central and Eastern Europe, as it was
highlighted during discussions.1 This paper is aimed at connecting east central
and east southern parts of Europe (i.e. without Russia and Nordic countries) to
the international stream of development in European hand papermaking before
introducing paper-making machines into countries of the discussed region of
Europe. This account directed to Anglophones is supplemented with the remarks

1
Simonetta Cavaciocchi (ed.): Produzione e Commercio della Carta e del Libro Secc. XIII-XVIII. Atti della
„Ventitreesima Settimana di Studi” 15-20 Aprile 1991. Firenze 1992, pp. 202f.

1
introducing into the technique of making paper by hand in Europe and
characteristics of European hand-made papers.

The genuinely European art of making paper by hand developed in

Fabriano and its further modifications
The artisans of Fabriano have laid a solid foundation for the successful
development of the European papermaking craft, and they propagated their art
of making paper by hand in other parts of medieval Italy. Thanks to so fruitful
efforts of the Fabriano master papermakers, and other Italian papermakers as
well, paper became able to successfully compete with parchment, its older rival,
and could be supplied outside Italy.2 As early as in 1350, the Fabriano paper was
applied as far as in Finland for writing a document.3 Also the Fabriano art of
papermaking spread from Italy to other European countries, starting local
papermaking in them, or, like in Spain, re-starting and developing that craft in
accordance with the Italian method.4
According Gasparinetti, the Arab prisoners settled in a suburb called
‘Borgo Saraceno’ probably introduced artisans of the city of Fabriano to the
Arab technique of making paper by hand. And the Fabrianese made fundamental
improvements in this craft, such as: the application of stamping hammers to
reduce the rags to pulp for making paper by hand, the sizing of the paper by
means of animal glue, and the watermarks. At that time Fabriano was famous
for its wool-weaving and its manufacture of cloth. In his opinion, the first
makers of paper at Fabriano adopted the idea of applying to their needs a battery
of hammers driven by water (by means of the usual water wheel) from the
‘valchare’ as the ‘gualchiere’ or fuller’s mills were then called. The papermakers

2
Andrea F. Gasparinetti: Paper, Papermakers and Paper-mills of Fabriano. In: Emile J. Labarre (ed.): Zonghi’s
Watermarks (Aurelio & Augusto Zonghi – A.F. Gasparinetti). Hilversum 1953, pp. 63-81; here pp. 73-79.
3
Nils J. Lindberg: Paper comes to the North. Sources and Trade Routes of Paper in the Baltic Sea Region 1350-
1700. Vantaa 1998 (IPH Monograph Series, Vol. 2), pp. 81ff.
4
José C. Balmaceda: La Contribución Genovesa al Desarrollo de la Manufactura Papelera Española. Fuengirola
2004 (Collecion Apapiris).

2
of Fabriano used glue, obtained by boiling ‘scrolls’ or scraps of animal skins, to
sizing their paper, which method was probably suggested to them by the local
tanneries. The introduction of first European watermarks in Fabriano was linked
to applying metal wires by Fabriano masters to making the laid cover in the
mould for forming paper by hand.5
However, less attention has been paid to the alkaline character of early
European papers made in accordance with the Fabriano method, and to
carbonate pigments present in those papers. Probably the first reference to the
presence of calcium carbonate in old European hand-made papers was published
in 1935 by Budka in his article on the Balice papermill near Kraków, established
by Seweryn Boner in 1518-1521.6 It was Barrow who carefully documented
such characteristic features of old European hand-made papers in his very
thorough studies into the permanence and durability of book papers, which were
fully completed by his ‘W.J. Barrow Research Laboratory Inc.’ and published in
1974.7 Barrett was able to demonstrate the important role played by both the
high calcium content and the amount of gelatine, detected in early European
hand-made papers, in relation to their strength and permanence.8 Nevertheless,
the analytical data obtained for historical paper specimens are usually
insufficient for reconstructing the technology of their manufacture. And such
inventions of the Fabriano masters’ as the alkaline papermaking and the unlikely
process of filling the paper with carbonate pigments without, however, adding
the pigments to the fibrous slurry before the forming process, as in the typical
5
Gasparinetti (cf. note 2), pp. 69-72. Richard L. Hills presented many additional and important remarks on
technical innovations introduced to papermaking in Fabriano, in his essay: Early Italian Papermaking. A Crucial
Technical Revolution. In: Cavaciocchi (cf. note 1), pp. 73-97; here pp. 79-83, 86-92, 93f. A slightly modified
version of that contribution was published in: IPH Congress Book, Vol. 9 (1992), pp. 37-46.
6
Włodzimierz Budka: Papiernia w Balicach [The Papermill in Balice]. In: Archeion 13 (1935), pp. 30-50, here
p. 41f.
7
W.J. Barrow Research Laboratory, Inc., Publication Number Seven: Permanence/Durability of the Book – VII.
Physical and Chemical Properties of Book Papers, 1507-1949. Richmond VA 1974, pp. 15ff, Appendix B:
Tables 2 and 3, Appendix C: Figures 1 and 4. – Timothy Barrett, who developed a major complementary study
surveying old papers manufactured between 1400 and 1800, additionally confirms Barrow’s results: Early
European Papers/Contemporary Conservation Papers. A Report on Research Undertaken from Fall 1984 through
Fall 1987. In: The Paper Conservator 13 (1989), pp. 3-108.
8
Timothy Barrett: Coded messages in historical handmade papers. In: IPH Congress Book, Vol. 11 (1996), pp.
86-91.

3
process of paper-filling, were still a bit of a puzzle, keeping in mind that first
documented use of filler (china clay) in European papermaking took place in
England about the year 1807.9
Quite recently, a careful analysis of the technological data present in
historical sources was published, documenting that lime (calcium hydroxide)
introduced during the stamping process created such alkaline conditions under
which paper was formed, and the calcium hydroxide retained in the paper must
have reacted with atmospheric carbon dioxide to produce particles of calcium
carbonate even though no pigment was used. The specific use of lime in the
stamping process was most likely first mentioned in a work by Francesco Maria
Grapaldo (De partibus aedium; GW 11331) printed in Parma probably in 1494
and often reprinted during the first half of the 16th century. The technical details
in the Regensburg Regulations, another important source, which probably dates
from the second half of the 16th century, show that making paper by hand in the
Bavarian mill was carried out in accordance with the Fabriano technology. It
was concluded that the lime retained in the paper was responsible for stabilizing
the glue in its structure, and some other remarks about the Fabriano method of
making paper by hand were additionally made in that contribution.10
A newest attempt to recapitulate information on the technique developed in
Fabriano is supplemented with scanning electron microscope (SEM)
micrographs showing carbonate pigments in the structure of an alkaline paper,
dated 1548 and made in Italy, documenting the presence of such pigments both
on fibre surfaces and in the fibre-wall. The latter is an example of the so-called
‘internal filling’ or ‘fibre loading’, mastered so early in medieval Italy. In the

9
Dard Hunter: Papermaking. The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. New York 1978, p. 490.
10
Józef Dąbrowski, John S.G. Simmons: Permanence of early European hand-made papers: some technological
aspects and the evidence of F.M. Grapaldo (c. 1494) and of the Regensburg Regulations (XVI 2/2 c.). In: IPH
Congress Book, Vol. 12 (1998), pp. 256-263. A slightly modified version of that paper was published in: Fibres
& Textiles in Eastern Europe 11 (2003), No. 4, pp. 8-13; see also: http://www.fibtex.lodz.pl/40_06_08.pdf

4
attempt, the following steps of making paper by hand, developed in Fabriano,
are specified and described in detail.11

There is a lack of illustrations depicting details of the papermaking technique in

medieval Italy. Probably Elias Porcelius gave the best presentation of making
paper by hand in Europe; however, his book was published at the end of the 17th
century. (Nürnberg 1689).12 (Fig.1)

Fig.1: Making paper by hand in Europe of the 17th century as presented by Elias Porcelius,
after Roemer (cf. note 12).

The ‘vatman’ is forming a sheet of paper by scooping with mould the fibrous
slurry (‘stock’ or ‘stuff’) from the vat. The second artisan, known as the
‘coucher’, is depositing the wet sheet of paper from the mould-frame upon a

11
Józef Dąbrowski: The Genuinely European Technique of Making Paper by Hand Developed in Fabriano: an
Interpretation Through the Mirror of Paper Technology. In: Giancarlo Castagnari (ed.): L’Era del Segno. The
Era of the Sign. Vol. 2. L’Impiego delle Technice e Dell’Oppera dei Cartai Fabrianesi in Italia e in Europa. The
Use of Techniques and Work by Papermakers from Fabriano in Italy and Europe. Fabriano 2007, pp. 415-470.
12
Klaus Roemer: Geschichte der Papiermühlen in Westpreußen und Danzig, nebst einem Anhang für
Netzedistrikt. Münster 2000 (Quellen und Darstellungen zur Geschichte Westpreußens, Bd. 30), p. 158, Abb. 36.

5
piece of woven wool cloth (‘felt’) somewhat larger than the size of paper. The
third workman, known as the ‘layman’ (or ‘layer’), is separating (after the
pressing) each sheet of paper from the interleaving ‘felts’ and placing the sheets
in an even pile. Behind the artisans, the wooden hammers of the stamper
(usually three hammers per trough) are depicted. The hammers are raised at their
heads by the cams fixed on a waterwheel axle made from the long trunk of a
single tree, and there was no need for gearing, therefore. Heating device may be
seen at the left of the picture by Porcelius. That invention made during the 17th
century, to warm the stock in the vat, speeded up the manufacture of paper by
increasing the dewatering rate of the stock during forming the sheet of paper. As
perceived in the picture by Porcelius, both the vatman and the coucher are using
the mould-frames at the same time. This was possible because a professional set
of the European mould consisted of one deckle and a pair of the mould-frames
with ribs into which the laid cover (or ‘face’) was fixed.13 (Fig.2)

Fig.2: A set of the European mould: one deckle but a pair of the mould-frames with ribs,
according to Dąbrowski and Siniarska-Czaplicka (cf. note 13).
In the lowest part of the picture, the mould-frames are covered with a single layer of the metal
laid cover to which additional thin wire in the form of design is attached to watermarking the
sheet. Details of the laid cover which later are visible in the sheet of paper held up to the light:
1) laid wires, 2) chain lines, 3) auxiliary chain lines not supporting by a rib, the so-called
‘water bar’, perceived only in early European papers.

13
Józef Dąbrowski, Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka: Rękodzieło Papiernicze [The Papermaking Craft]. Warszawa
1991, p. 152, Fig. 39.

6
After stirring up the stock in the vat with the paddle, the vatman took a mould-
frame, put the deckle on top and scooped up some stock. The mould was shaken
by the vatman to remove superfluous stock over the far side of the deckle and
‘to close the sheet’ before the stock settles upon the cover of the mould-frame.
Having finished the forming, the vatman removed the wooden deckle, and then
passed the mould-frame with the newly formed sheet along the wooden
platform, called the ‘bridge’, to the coucher. After that, the vatman started to
form another sheet with the second (empty) mould-frame, using the same
deckle. The coucher put the mould-frame, with its thin moist sheet, against the
inclined bar, called the ‘asp’ (also ‘ass’ or ‘horn’), fixed into the bridge. The
coucher choose the correct inclination of the mould-frame required for quicker
or slower dewatering, depending on the kind of paper under production. (The
bridge across the top of the vat is perceived in the picture by Porcelius; however,
the asp was omitted.) When the newly-formed wet sheet of paper had properly
solidified upon the mould-frame, the coucher inverted the mould-frame. After
that, he deposited the wet sheet of paper upon a felt, by pressing it against the
felt with a slight rocking motion. Next, he pushed the empty mould-frame along
the bridge to the vatman. Another felt was placed by the coucher on top of the
sheet of paper he had couched off previously. These activities were repeated
over and over, until a pile of usually 144 sheets of paper, had been formed and
couched, each sheet of wet paper separated from the next by a piece of felt. The
pile of paper and felting, called ‘post’, was placed in a press to remove the
excess water.
So close cooperation between the vatman and the coucher was very
efficient, judging from later established norms of daily work as regards
moulding of paper from one vat: 6 reams in a full day and 5 reams in vigil. It
means, 2880 sheets of paper was made in a full day of work, counting the ream
of writing paper as consisting of 480 sheets. The norms were specified in the
Polish document of 1546, and later they were laid down in the Regensburg

7
Regulations.14 A key issue in such efficient cooperation between the artisans was
carefully prepared stock. Rag fibres should not be beaten too highly, only to
enable even formation of the sheet of paper, during its moulding. The stock
prepared from the rags fibres only slightly beaten dewaters too quickly, resulting
in defected sheets; however, highly beaten pulp dewaters too slowly, not only
during the moulding by the vatman, but also during draining before the couching
step, causing a disturbance of that cooperation between the vatman and the
coucher. So the rag fibres should be beaten in a way suitable to the type of paper
under production.

According to a recent understanding, the rag fibres (relatively long, smooth, and
stiff) during their beating in aqueous suspension are transformed into shorter,
fibrillated, and more flexible fibres. The scanning electron microscope (SEM)
micrographs documented the fibrillation of both inner and outer layers of the
cell-wall structure after the beating process. The fibrils separated from the outer
layers of fibres (called ‘fines’) are responsible for decreasing the dewatering rate
of the fibrous slurry; on the other hand, flexibility (and even plasticity) of the
internally fibrillated fibres is decisive for contact areas between fibres. Such
contacts become the bonding areas holding the fibrous network together, after
subsequent pressing and drying of paper sheets.15 The very soaking of the fibres
in water, even when prolonged, cannot produce these effects, and therefore such
mechanical actions upon fibrous slurry are required before moulding the sheet of
paper. The formation of hydrogen bonds between the surfaces of plant
(cellulose) fibres is the final act of consolidation of the wet sheet of paper
accomplished without any additional adhesives. However, the hydrogen bonding
is not water resistant, and therefore by simple wetting with water the sheet of

14
Józef Dąbrowski, John S.G. Simmons: Ad perpetuam rei memoriam...: The Royal Regulation of Polish
Papermaking in 1546. In: IPH Congress Book, Vol. 10 (1994), pp. 44-51. Also in Polish and English version in:
Przegląd Papierniczy 52 (1996), pp. 267-272, 329-335.
15
H.W. Emerton: Fundamentals of the Beating Process. Kenley 1957, pp. 133-144. Edward Szwarcsztajn:
Przygotowanie masy papierniczej [Stock preparation for papermaking]. Warszawa 1991, pp. 108-115, 131-139.

8
paper backs to a state approaching that of the wet sheet itself. The strength of
dry paper derives from both the strength of individual fibres in the network and
the bond strength. The latter is related to the fraction of fibre surface that is
bonded in the sheet, dependant mainly on the beating degree of plant fibres.16
In fact, the stock preparation started from the fermentation (or ‘retting’) of
the rags. A duration for the retting depended on the quality of the rags. The finer
rags fermented less quickly than the coarser ones, and old cloth more slowly
than new. The different grades of rags were sorted out from the rags supplied to
the mill, therefore. The finest and whitest materials were most valued and
reserved for top quality paper manufactured without a considerable wastage in
the work. In the technique of making paper by hand elaborated in Fabriano;
however, the rag fibres were beaten only in such a moderate way which assured
the even formation of paper sheets and enabled the efficient cooperation of the
crew at the vat, resulting in the high productivity. It means, the beating process
was not aimed at full development of strength properties of the paper, and it was
the gelatine size, which considerably strengthened the paper and diminished its
porosity. This also led to the required degree of sizing being achieved, i.e. the
resistance of a paper surface to penetration of water and aqueous solutions, with
the ink used for writing among them. The word ‘size’ means here a thin
substance used as a glaze or filler on porous material, such as paper in this case,
and therefore the word ‘size’ here refers to the role playing by the gelatine size
in reducing the rate at which paper absorbs water and aqueous solutions.
However, the term does not refer to the strong bonding ability of the gelatine
size, which additionally developed the strength of paper sheets. The adhesive
character of the gelatine size is clearly expressed in the names of ‘size’ and
‘sizing’ used in other languages, e.g., in Italian (colla, collagio), French (colle,
collage), German (Leim, Leimung), and Polish (klej, zaklejanie). In modern
terminology such kind of sizing process invented in Fabriano, and its modern

16
Derek H. Page: A Theory for the Tensile Strength of Paper. In: Tappi 52 (1969), No. 4, pp. 674-681.

9
modification as well, is called ‘external sizing’ to distinguish it from ‘internal
sizing’, introduced in machine papermaking, in which the size is added to the
fibrous slurry before forming the web of paper. This was initiated with the rosin
(colophony) size, and recently synthetic sizes are applied in very small
quantities. All of them considerably reduce the wetting ability of paper, acting as
a water-repellent and imparting a high sizing degree to the paper sized in this
way, also to porous papers. However, these positive effects are accompanied
with a negative influence of such hydrophobic sizes on the strength of paper, in
contrast with the sizing developed in Fabriano, guaranteeing both such a high
sizing degree of the paper and so considerable strengthening of its fibrous
structure.

The Italian technique provided a sound basis for further development of

European papermaking, which progressed within the frame of that technique up
to the invention of the paper-making machine in 1798/99, with a few important
improvements during those four hundred years. The technical change of a great
significance was the Hollander or roll beater, also known as ‘grinding-trough’ or
as ‘cylinder’, invented in the Zaanland windmills (in the province of Northern
Holland) manufacturing coarser paper grades, and later adapted for watermills.
In the opinion of Voorn, the edge-runner (‘Kollergang’) applied in those mills
was a forerunner of the roll beater. The bedstone of the edge-runner has been
developed into a bedplate of the beater, and the runners into the rolls covered
with metal bars (‘knives’). According to Voorn, probably about the year 1650
the Hollander beater (in Dutch: ‘maalbak’), though still primitive, was working
there. In 1673 the beater was improved by replacing the iron knives and bedplate
by knives and plate of bronze. This made it possible to make white writing and
printing papers, which was done in the Zaanland mills from that year onward.17
First drawings of such beaters (though incorrect) were published in 1718 in
17
Henk Voorn: De papiermolens in de provincie Noord-Holland. Haarlem 1960 (De Geschiedenis der
Nederlandse papierindustrie, Vol. 1), pp. 39 (Fig. 18), 532.

10
Augsburg, in the book by L.Ch. Sturm dealing with mill machinery, after his
researches in Dutch paper mills.18 The roll beaters were applied for the beating
process of rag fibres to prepare the whole-stuff from them. Later, different roll
beater with broader bars on the roll, named also ‘breaking cylinder’ (in Dutch:
‘roerbak’), was developed to prepare the half-stuff from pieces of the rags, with
washing the rag fibres during that process. Both breaking and beating processes
were progressed much more quickly in these roll engines, in comparison with an
efficiency of the stampers applied to such processes; the detailed and highly
interesting comparisons were presented by Balston.19 However, even after the
introduction of the Hollander beaters there were mills in Germany and France,
as well as in Italy, with the old stampers, especially the stampers for preparing
the half-stuff, thus trying to assure long-fibred stock for making paper.20
In papers manufactured by the Dutch mills the rag fibres were more
shortened; however, the productivity of these mills was much higher thanks to
more efficient applying the driving power of the windmill in the stock
preparation process with those beaters increasing its output about eight times, in
comparison with traditional stampers. Moreover, in the mills formerly equipped
with only one vat soon the second vat was installed. It was usual; however, there
were some mills worked three and even four vats. Early Dutch drawings of the
Hollander beaters are shown in Fig.3.

18
Edo G. Loeber: Zu L.C. Sturm’s Papiermühlenrissen. In: Papiergeschichte 20 (1970), pp. 49-72.
19
John N. Balston: The Elder James Whatman England’s Greatest Paper Maker (1702-1759). Vol. 1. West
Farleigh/Kent 1992, pp. 215-241.
20
Hunter (cf. note 9), pp. 167f.

11
Fig.3: A collection of early Dutch drawings pertaining to Hollander beaters, from 1734; after
Voorn (cf. note 17, p. 39).

Dutch papers from Zaanland, and also from Guelderland, were evenly formed
and properly sized with the animal glue size; the use of fish-glue had no
confirmation in archive-records. Moreover, two wooden glazing-rolls (in Dutch:
‘pleystermolen’) were applied for finishing paper with a smooth surface. Thanks
to these technical innovations, the province of Northern Holland became so
significant exporter of hand-made paper. There was a period of great boom from
1700 to 1800, when from 130 to 160 thousand reams of paper were
manufactured each year in the province, with almost equal parts of white paper
and wrapping (grey and blue) paper (also watermarked) in the output. At that
time skilled papermakers of Zaanland were particularly prized abroad, getting
very high wages; their emigration was forbidden at the beginning of the second
half of the 18th century, and was then severely punished.21 Dutch merchants and
entrepreneurs should be recalled, who established themselves in France,
particularly in Angoulême, where many papermills were run on Dutch capital.
French paper ordered by the Amsterdam factors and manufactured with special
watermarks was sold in the Netherlands and exported abroad.22

21
Voorn (cf. note 17), pp. 57, 75, 533f.
22
Ibid., pp. 539f. Gabriel Delâge: L’Angoumois au temps des Marchands Flamands (17 siècle). Paris 1990. René
Laroche: Les Laroche, papetiers charentais. In : Fumées du Nil 3 (1992), pp. 14f.

12
Another important contribution was done in England. In 1756/57 James
Whatman replaced the original laid cover with a woven one, much denser than
the laid cover. This was followed (before his death in 1759) by the development
of an entirely new structure for the papermaking mould, enabling an efficient
dewatering during moulding of the wove paper. Any wire marks (laid and chain
lines) are not perceived in the wove paper held up to the light, and such a very
smooth surface is peculiar to that paper. Early in 1777, Benjamin Franklin had
drawn the attention of French papermakers (and printers too) to this new kind of
paper.23 A few years after that the manufacture of the wove paper started in
France, under the name: ‘papier vélin’.24 Nonetheless, this new kind of paper
was propagated slowly. Later on, the woven wire was pressed (before fixing it to
the mould-frame) for watermarking of paper with both simple and (later) more
complicated light-and-shade watermarks. Such watermarks in paper still play a
prominent part in the prevention of counterfeiting, and reasonably artistic results
are gained in watermarked reproductions of the paintings of the old masters, as
well as in portraits of celebrities.25
The application of woven wire in forming the sheet of paper by Whatman
in England was, however, a prelude to forming the web of the wove paper in the
paper-making machine, invented in 1798/99 in France by Nicolas Louis Robert,
and implemented to practice in England, where first such machine was erected
in 1803, in the Frogmore paper mill. In these open wire machines the fibre
suspension is deposited on top of an endless woven wire running horizontally.
Forming the wove paper, i.e. without any wire marks in its look-through, was
also possible in the cylinder-mould machine. John Dickinson patented, in 1809
in England, such machine with a strong, hollow cylinder covered with a woven
wire cloth.26 However, in such machines a laid wire could also be used for
23
John Balston: The Whatmans and Wove (Velin) Paper. Its Invention and Development in the West. West
Farleigh/ Kent 1998, pp. 1-81, 116f.
24
Marie-Hélène Reynaud: Une Histoire de Papier. Le Papeteries Canson et Montgolfier. Annonay 1989, p. 32.
25
Hunter (cf. note 9), pp. 295-308.
26
Robert H. Clapperton: The Paper-making Machine. Its Invention, Evolution and Development. Oxford 1967,
pp. 15-29, 65-73.

13
covering the forming cylinder, to produce the laid paper, i.e. with laid and chain
lines in its look-through.
Loeber presented details of the paper moulds applied in Europe, as well as
their laid and wove covers, perceived in historical context. In his opinion, the
earliest attempts towards mechanical weaving of laid covers started at the end of
the 17th century, and such problems were practically solved during the first half
of the 18th century, either in England, or in Holland. Loeber mentions the two-
sheets moulds upon which two normal sheets of paper were made
simultaneously, end-to-end. These large moulds, presumably originated in
Holland to increase an output, became quite popular in Holland and Great
Britain in the 18th century.27

There were many small improvements in making paper by hand propagated by

those journeymen (‘freemen’ or ‘companions’) who travelled from place to
place in their own country, and abroad too. German papermakers, who
contributed much to the development of making paper by hand in central and
eastern parts of Europe, introduced to their new home-lands also their
terminology of papermaking and their customs. Some information was
preserved from oblivion for the times after the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48),
when German papermaking was able to recover, and German papermakers
started to gather in professional groups, developing a peculiar set of customs
never set down in writing or print. Renker made a successful attempt to collect
those customs of German papermakers, who settled their own affairs in
conventions attended by representatives of both masters and companions. The
latter had a very strong position in German papermaking as they could
reprimand a master, and even the visiting companion had the right to do that.
The reprimands, or ‘Scheltensachen’, were quite frequent, and no companion
was allowed to work for the reprimanded master. Less severe consequences had

27
Edo G. Loeber: Paper Mould and Mouldmaker. Amsterdam 1982, pp. 27-30, 37-40.

14
another procedure called ‘citing’ (Citieren); nonetheless, such citing could cost a
master as much as 30 thalers. Renker stated: “An honourable master could easily
be ruined by dishonourable companions, when the latter combined to speak
against him”. In his opinion, the position of the craft was so strong that Niklaus
Dürr, papermaker of Basel at the end of the 16th century, could say: “No emperor
nor king, no prince, is able to resist the will of the German handcraft.” Not all
German papermakers were friends of the old customs, and the authorities of
Saxony advocated, in 1764, the abolition of the “customs”, but without success.
In the opinion of Renker:
This decree of King Sigismund I of Poland, in 1546, may be said to be of German
origin, because most papermakers referred to were Germans. In this regulation the
social element is stressed for the first time. Contributions were levied for the care of
the sick and the poor.28

But not only this was new in the Latin document (Confirmatio articulorum
artificii papiracii) approved by King Sigismund I the Old on 10 October 1546,
at Kraków; quite recently published in English translation with notes and
explanations.29 In contrary to the German customs, the regulations of Polish
papermaking point out the leading position of the owners of paper mills and
masters of that craft. The role played by freemen (companions) was limited, and
all were bound (under pain of loss of craft rights) to make known any evil report
concerning a newly arrived freeman. According to the Polish regulations, the
conflicts unsolved within a circle of papermakers should be placed before the
jurisdiction of the local council, and its sentence was binding. In the 1546
regulations, the earliest known document in Europe that illuminates the nature of
a papermakers’ statute, King Sigismund I the Old assigned to Polish
papermakers as their emblem the figure of Saint Anthony bearing staff and bell,
the tutelary guardian of the papermaking craft in many countries; in contrast
with the custom started in Fabriano, where papermakers remained under the
28
Armin Renker: Some Curious Customs of Old-Time Papermaking in Germany. In: The Paper Maker 30
(1961), No. 1, pp. 3-10.
29
Dąbrowski/Simmons (cf. note 14).

15
protection of Saint Maria Magdalena. Radermecker gave a detailed account of
papermakers’ associations and of their saint patrons in the provinces of France,
presenting also other guardians of papermakers besides these two mentioned
above.30 Rosenband carefully collected and thoroughly analysed many historical
facts about activities of papermakers in papermaking centres, mainly of western
European countries, documenting tough competition in many aspects of the
papermaking craft. 31
For such reasons no learned craftsman perceived any advantage in sharing
his knowledge with others by publishing technical details of making paper by
hand. The first real technical manual in this field was published by J.J.F. de
Lalande: “Art de faire le Papier” (Paris 1761), who was asked to prepare such
elaboration by famous Academie de Sciences in Paris. In ‘Introduction’ to the
English version of that book, entitled ‘The Art of Papermaking’ and published
more than two hundred years after the original French edition, Voorn mentions
translations to other languages of the work by Lalande issued quickly in:
German – ‘Die Kunst Papier zu machen’, in 1762; Italian – ‘Osservazioni
intorno all’arte di fabbricare la carta’, 1762; Spanish – ‘Arte de hacer el papel’,
1778; Dutch – ‘De Papiermaker’, 1792.32 Translation into Polish was ready in
1799; however, it was published in 1817.33 So high demand for paper in the
second part of the 18th century resulted in still growing interest of entrepreneurs
in many European countries to invest in papermaking, and therefore for the
entrepreneurs the work by Lalande was such a very useful manual, rich in
technical details of papermaking machinery and with some technological
remarks. In many European countries number of active paper mills was still
growing before the end of the 18th century and also at the beginning of the next

30
Alphonse F. Radermecker: Les confréries et associations papetières en France sous l’ancien Régime. In: IPH
Congress Book, Vol. 10 (1994), pp. 71-79.
31
Leonard N. Rosenband: Formazione ed evoluzione dei centri della produzione della carta. In: Cavaciocchi (cf.
note 1), pp. 49-71.
32
The Art of Papermaking by Joseph de La Lande 1761, transl. by R. MacIntyre Atkinson. Kilmurry 1976.
33
Michał Kado: Opisanie fabryki papieru [A description of the paper factory]. In: Dziennik Wileński 6 (1817),
pp. 429-480.

16
century. It was documented in England, where first paper-making machine was
introduced, in 1803, into practice; however, number of paper mills at work
reached its peak in the 1820s, with prevailing number of the mills used for the
manufacture of coarse (wrapping) paper and board.34 Such tendency towards
growing the number of mills at work used for the manufacture of paper by hand
was displayed almost to the middle of the 19th century in eastern parts of Europe,
where paper-making machines were slowly introduced into paper industry.

Some main alterations in paper technology introduced after initiating European

papermaking in Italy should be mentioned. Wrapping papers were made from
coarser rags; however, such papers were also sized with the gelatine size.
Different kinds of wrapping papers, both grey and (later) coloured, also thicker
grades and board, started successively to become manufactured. Quite early, the
technology of making drawing paper, started to become separated from the
technology applied in manufacturing writing paper, and later watercolour
drawing paper and other papers for artists started to become produced, however,
in rather small quantities.35 Much more important alterations in the technology
of white papers were introduced after Gutenberg’s invention of the genuinely
European art of printing; his 42-line Bible has been printed partly on parchment,
but mostly on writing papers from Italy.36 Gutenberg’s invention resulted in a
growing need for a much cheaper paper, manufactured not for writing but
specifically for printing, with a softer, not so hard sized surface. In the 16th
century the technology of making printing paper started to become separated
from the technology used in manufacturing writing paper.

34
Alfred H. Shorter: Paper Mills in England in the 1820s. In: Papiergeschichte 10 (1960), Nr. 3, pp. 32-35.
35
Albert Elen: Italian Late-medieval and Renaissance Drawing Book: from Giovannino de Grassi to Palma
Giovane. Leiden 1995. John Krill: Silk Paper for Crayon Drawing in the 18th Century. In: IPH Congress Book,
Vol. 10 (1994), pp. 117-121. Peter Bower: Turner’s Papers. London 1990. Ibid.: Turner’s Later Papers. London
1999. Balston (cf. note 23), pp. 243-299.
36
Paul Needham: The Paper Supply of the Gutenberg Bible. In: Papers of the Bibliographical Society of
America 79 (1985), No. 3, pp. 303-374, here pp. 307-319.

17
 This question is more thoroughly discussed in a recently published attempt
to recapitulate the story of permanent and durable papers.37 At the turn of the
15th century, alum, i.e. aluminium potassium sulphate, was introduced (outside
Italy) into gelatine for paper sizing, and this resulted in such a completely acidic
paper. Alum was added to the gelatine size as the preservation agent, and its
moderate admixture controlled the viscosity of the size, and finally, alum
hardened of the gelatine-sized papers. This means that the era of acidic paper
had already begun in the time of making paper by hand. Nevertheless, gelatine
has a marked protective role towards cellulose, also in the gelatine-sized papers
with a moderate admixture of alum. However, pressure from printers, who
demanded less tough and rather cheap papers, resulted in many simplifications
while manufacturing the printing papers by hand. Used and even defected
moulds became applied in the manufacture, also moulds without any
watermarks. Rags of lower quality were more and more frequently used to
produce printing paper, with a weak gelatine sizing, and later on even without
any external paper sizing at all, as the so-called ‘waterleaf’ paper. After printing,
these waterleaf papers were ‘evened’ (in German ‘planiert’) using a diluted
solution of animal glue with alum admixture; next, the printed sheets were
pressed, dried, and burnished. However, the gelatine content was too low both to
strengthen such printing papers and to buffer their acidity. A steady decline in
the quality of printing papers started before the end of the 17th century, and the
general character of that trend was confirmed by the results of Barrow’s studies.
These are presented in Fig.4, showing a dramatic decrease in the folding
endurance of those printing papers, which were manufactured after c. 1670.

37
Józef Dąbrowski: Aspects of Technology and Market Forces in the Story of Permanent and Durable Papers. In:
IPH Congress Book, Vol. 15 (2004), pp. 107-124, here pp. 111-114. See also, Anna-Grethe Rischel: Adaptation
and innovation in technology and quality- A study of 250 years of Danish and European rag paper. In: Ibid., pp.
105-115.

18
Fig.4: Folding endurance (MIT tester, 0.5 kilogram force of tension) of book papers
manufactured from 1507 to 1949, studied by W.J. Barrow (cf. note 7, Appendix C: Figure 2).

Papermakers to the manufacture of writing papers paid much more attention

than to manufacturing printing papers, as writing papers were costly and their
manufacture was more profitable for their producers. The writing papers were
better sized with the gelatine, to be fit for writing, and they were usually still
watermarked.

Some features of writing and printing papers made by hand in Europe

A peculiarity of European hand-made papers, especially of such early papers
made in accordance with the Fabriano technique, is their character of a kind of
composite material made from two natural polymers: the cellulose (in its natural
fibrous form of plant fibres) and the protein (extracted from hides and bones);
created during the very manufacturing process of paper, not during its
subsequent processing. Both polymers were responsible for the durability and
permanence of such papers, and for their performance in practical applications,
resulting in a very tough structure of such papers made in accordance with the
Fabriano method, both in Italy and in other countries. This also gives a
possibility to reproduce easily their watermark, another peculiarity of European
hand-made papers. The pattern of paper surface may be copied by gentle
rubbing a piece of thin white paper laid over the wire side of an old European
hand-made paper (placed on a hard flat surface) with a soft and wedge-pointed

19
pencil. However, the method may be not successful regarding ‘younger’ papers
made by hand later on in Europe, owing to the changes in paper technology
shortly discussed above. An example of the result gained in the rubbing
technique, so simple and objective, is shown in Fig. 5.38

Fig. 5: An example of the result (reduced) gained in the rubbing technique applied to copy a
pattern of the paper being one among other papers used for printing the book (about 1480) by
Guilelmus Parisiensis, i.e. Johannes Herolt; according to Ziesche (cf. note 38).

The invention of watermarks made up by Fabrianese paper-masters started ‘the

era of the sign in the history of paper’, as it was pointed out in the bi-lingual
(Italian & English) book reproducing three essays by the Zonghi brothers,
Aurelio and Augusto, early scholars involved in thorough investigations into the
history of paper and watermarks in the Fabriano area.39 In the first essay,
originally published in 1881 at Fabriano, Aurelio Zonghi came to the conclusion
after his studies on watermarks in the Fabriano archives:
If so careful comparisons are made between undated papers and dated ones, even
approximately, we can –without fear of error – attribute the same date to papers which
incidentally have no date and this is the practical result of the comparative study of the
watermarks. Such study should, however, be accompanied by accurate observation of all the
other features that establish the absolute similarity of the paper sheets compared.40

In early papers the position of the watermark in the plane of the sheet was not
fixed. In Fig.2, presented above, the watermark design is shown in the centre of
the sheet; however, the watermark became later located in the centre of one half
38
Eva Ziesche: Datierung von Strassburger Drucken mit Hilfe von Wasserzeichen. In: IPH Congress Book, Vol.
10 (1994), pp. 25-29; here p. 28, Abb.2.
39
Giancarlo Castagnari (ed.): L’Era del Segno. The Era of the Sign, Vol. 1, L’Opera dei Fratelli Zonghi. L’Era
del Segno nella Storia della Carta. The Zonghi Brother’s Work. The Era of the Sign in the History of Paper.
Fabriano 2003, pp. 225f.
40
Ibid., p. 271.

20
of the sheet with its vertical axis in the direction of the chain lines. Writing
papers were usually used as ‘folio’, i.e. after folding in the middle of the narrow
way, and in this case the watermark was perceived in the centre of one of the
two halves. Later on, the counter watermark was added to another half of the
sheet. Occasionally, the third mark was placed between the two main
watermarks. International Association of Paper Historians (IPH) elaborated and
published the international standard for the registration of papers with or without
watermarks, together with the typological index, both in four languages:
English, German, French, and Spanish.41
Traditional method of reproducing watermarks is tracing them with a pencil
on translucent paper or foil. The foundations of the modern science of
watermarks were established by Charles-Moïse Briquet in his four-volume work
‘Les Filigranes’, published in 1907, reprinted in 1923, and finally republished by
the Paper Publications Society as ‘The New Briquet Jubilee Edition’ in 1968,
fifty years since Briquet’s death. The last publication is a facsimile of the 1907
edition (in French) with supplementary materials (in English), edited by
Stevenson and with Simmons as the general editor; containing Briquet’s
complete text and plates in facsimile (with added use-dates), together with 150
pages of supplementary materials.42 The ‘Jubilee Edition’ was also an
opportunity to select a bibliography of the literature of paper history and
watermarks published since 1907, by Simmons. The Paper Publications Society
deserves mention owing to the merits of the Society in publishing watermarks
albums and other paper-historical studies. Emile J. Labarre founded the Society
in June 1950, with Labarre as the general editor. After Labarre’s death, in 1965,
Simmons became the Society’s general editor. He edited, translated, and adapted
for publication in English the watermark album published (Moscow 1844) by

41
Peter F. Tschudin (ed.): International Standard for the Registration of Papers with or without Watermarks.
Version 2.0 (1997). Basel (without date); Albert Elen (ed.): International Standard for the Registration of Papers
with or without Watermarks. Version 2.0 (1997).Typological Index. Leiden (without date).
42
Allan Stevenson (ed.): The New Briquet Jubilee Edition. C.M. Briquet Les Filigranes. Dictionnaire historique
des marques du papier dès leur apparition vers 1282 jusqu’en 1600. 4 Vol’s. Amsterdam 1968.

21
Tromonin, the first really substantial watermark album, as vol. XI of the
‘Monumenta Chartae Papyraceae Historiam Illustrantia’ (MCPHI), a main series
edited by the Society.43 However, some other publications such as ‘out of
series’. ‘offprints’, ‘supplements’, etc. – were also published by the Society,
altogether forty-six items. Volume XV edited in 1994, ‘Likhachev’s
Watermarks’, crowned the ‘Monumenta’ series of the Society, who after that
edition stopped further activities.44

Watermark albums are documentary evidence of the very existence and

activities of paper mills; however, they are also useful for characterising old
manuscripts, documents, drawings, printed matters, etc. - extant on paper, and
(sometimes) even to dating them. In such attempts, however, complications may
occur. While discussing such questions, Voorn highlighted various lifetimes of a
papermaker’s mould. Regarding watermarks in North-Holland, Voorn found a
greater degree of uniformity between various moulds than was the case
elsewhere, as independent craftsmen who had specialized in this type of work
made the moulds there. In his remarks Voorn remembered also ‘twin moulds’
with the same watermark but with different details.45
Hand-made papers were produced with applying a pair of mould-frames;
see Fig.1 and Fig.2. In studies of watermarks this fact has been neglected for a
long time. According to Schmidt, it was Karl T. Weiß, the German watermark
expert, who as the first emphasized that phenomenon in his study published in
1915. Moreover, Weiß had been corresponding about this matter with Briquet,
“and the latter admitted that he had missed this obvious point”.46 However, it
was Stevenson who brought to the attention of the scholarly world new uses of

43
John S.G. Simmons (ed.): Tromonin’s Watermark Album. Hilversum 1965.
44
John S.G. Simmons, Bé van Ginneken-van de Kasteele (eds.): Likhachev’s Watermarks. An English-Language
Version. 2 Vol’s. Amsterdam 1994.
45
Voorn (cf. note 17), pp. 536ff.
46
Frieder Schmidt: European Papermaking - its History and the Research into its Past. The Paper Road: From the
Origins to the Future. International Paper Symposium’95. Tokyo 1995, pp. 18-36, here p. 30.

22
watermarks as bibliographical evidence47, and his next study, entirely devoted to
twin watermarks,48 directed watermarks studies towards new solutions.
Kazmeier, in his 1952 publication49, also presented twin watermarks;
nonetheless, his study was limited only to paper stocks of the Gutenberg Bible,
without viewing watermark studies from a new perspective, and in addition
Kazmeier’s study contained some errors, Needham discussed the latter.50
Stevenson, in his careful analyses of former publications, found many
observations very close to the concept of twin watermarks, starting from
remarks by S.L. Sotheby in 1858, also by Briquet in 1907, and later by some
others. Nevertheless, this concept was formerly not clearly and fully presented.
Stevenson illustrated his theses with photographs of twin watermarks, presenting
their examples both simple and more complicated.51 Needham has thoroughly
discussed the new possibilities to bibliographers raised after Stevenson’s studies,
requiring the study of both the mould-frame covers and the watermarks attached
to them. In his opinion, the typographical and paper evidences joined together
are considerably stronger in book-science than either alone.52
A more objective picture of watermark, together with laid lines and chain
marks, may be received in applying modern methods for which most writing and
printing inks are not an obstacle in creating clarity of the picture. A mildly
radioactive sheet of plastic emitting electrons (beta-rays) is applied in beta-
radiography has been the most popular method, although it is expensive and
rather slow. The sheet of paper is placed between the radioactive plate and the
film, and resulted sandwich is left to exposure, and its time is depending on the
mass of materials penetrated by beta rays. The first beta-radiographs of all the

47
Allan H. Stevenson: New Uses of Watermarks As Bibliographical Evidence. In: Papers of the Bibliographical
Society of the University of Virginia [i.e., Studies in Bibliography] 1 (1948-1949), pp. 149- 182.
48
Ibid.: Watermarks Are Twins. In: Studies in Bibliography 4 (1951-1952), pp. 57-91.
49
August W. Kazmeier: Wasserzeichen und Papier der zweiundvierzigzeiligen Bibel. In: Gutenberg Jahrbuch
(1952), pp. 21-29.
50
Needham (cf. note 36), pp. 305f.
51
Stevenson (cf. note 48), pp. 90f.
52
Paul Needham: The Study of Paper From the Archival Point of View. In: IPH Yearbook of Paper History, Vol.
7 (1988), pp. 122-135.

23
watermarks of B42 paper stocks were published by Needham.53 In a more
elaborated and costly version of the process, called electron-radiography, an X-
ray machine is applied as the primary energy source, bombarding a lead sheet
which re-emits electrons (beta-rays) penetrating through the sheet of paper to the
film. This method is very much faster than typical beta-radiography, there is
possible to prepare almost 200 pictures a day.54 Soft X-ray radiography is also
faster than typical beta-radiography; however, rather expensive too because an
X-ray machine is applied. Moreover, the picture is taken in a relatively small
area in soft X-ray radiography. Comparative studies were recently published, in
which four different methods were applied for visualisation of watermarks,
together with laid and chain lines, in studied paper objects. Two copper
engravings and one woodcut were studied with such methods as: beta-
radiography, soft X-ray radiography, scanning in the transmission mode, and the
Dylux method. The comparative studies showed that all these non-destructive
methods gave the pictures with actual size of watermarks; however, paints and
printing inks interfered with both scanning in the transmission mode and the
Dylux method, whereas no interference occurred with both beta and soft X-ray
radiography. The latter was much faster and yielded more details in the picture
than beta-radiography.55 Regarding the Dylux method, it was elaborated by
Gravell who applied Dylux® photosensitive paper, developed by DuPont Corp.,
for preparing the picture of watermark.56 The photosensitive paper is laid over
the studied paper and exposed to light (410-500 nm). The light is transmitted
through the studied paper to the photosensitive paper, and the latter is
subsequently exposed to UV-radiation (200-400 nm) developing the picture of
watermark with laid and chain lines on the photosensitive paper, without any

53
Needham (cf. note 36), pp. 374-378.
54
Dierk Schnitger, Eva Ziesche, Eberhard Mundry: Elektronenradigraphie als Hilfsmittel für die Identifizierung
schwer oder nicht erkennbarer Wasserzeichen. In: Gutenberg Jahrbuch (1983), pp. 49-67.
55
Manfred Schreiner, Helmgard Wallner-Holle: Determination of Watermarks by Non-destructive Methods.
Comparative Studies. In: Rosella Graziaplena, Mark Livesey (eds.): Paper as a Medium of Cultural Heritage.
Archaeology and Conservation. 26th IPH Congress. Roma 2004, pp. 142 – 152.
56
Thomas Gravell: The Need for Detailed Watermark. In: Restaurator 4 (1980), pp. 221-226.

24
additional treatment of the photosensitive paper. So the Dylux method is a dry
process, in contrast with wet processing methods, like all the radiography
methods (beta-, electron-, and soft X-ray radiography), in which the wet
development of the picture on the film is required.

In books the position of watermark in a leaf depends on the system of folding of

paper sheets: folio, quarto, etc. After binding of the book some fragments of
watermark are not available. Nonetheless, the very structure of the laid cover of
the papermaking mould-frame impressed in the wire side of paper is also of
great significance in characterising the sheet of paper and its origin. To that end
the measurements with a high precision of the distances between chain lines in
the sheet of paper may give useful information.57 Bogdanov elaborated an
efficient system of the so-called interval tables.58 Nevertheless, the computer
aided image analysis offers the best solution of such questions, and the system
of large-scale laid lines density measurements, with the AD751 computer
program specially written to that purpose by Atanasiu and Multimedia Press (for
the Istituto Centrale per la Patologia del Libro at Rome) proved practically its
efficiency in characterising and identifying the sheet of paper.59 Additional
information about the image processing can be found in a website of the
Bernstein Consortium,60 together with addresses of some databases which
present scanned images or tracings of watermarks. Among them there is the
‘Piccard-Online’ database, the world’s largest collection already on-line, about
95,000 tracings of watermarks gathered by the late Gerhard Piccard, a German
expert in watermark studies. It does mean that also tracings of watermarks are

57
Õie Utter, Leo Utter: Schöpfformenbau und die alten europäischen Längenmaßsysteme. In: IPH Congress
Book, Vol. 11 (1996), pp. 76-80. Leo Utter, Õie Utter: Grundbegriffe für Filigranologie. Wasserzeichenkunde
und Mathematik. Tartu 2006.
58
Andrey P. Bogdanov: Osnovy filigranovyedenya: istoriya, teoriya, praktika [Bases of Watermark Study:
History, Theory, Practice]. Moskwa 1999, pp. 110-124.
59
Vlad Atanasiu: Assessing Paper Origin and Quality by Means of Large-Scale Laid Lines Density
Measurements. In: Rosella Graziaplena, Mark Livesey (eds.): Paper as a Medium of Cultural Heritage.
Archaeology and Conservation. 26th IPH Congress. Roma 2004, pp. 172-183.
60
The Bernstein Workspace (http://www.bernstein.oeaw.ac.at/)

25
still useful, and therefore such reproductions of watermarks, not only their
scanned images, are still collected and later presented, also in the book form.61

Some aspects of paper-history in the discussed region of Europe

The art of papermaking was introduced into Central and Eastern Europe after
Gutenberg’s invention, and so printing presses were usually established there
before the establishment of making paper by hand. At the beginning of the
propagation of paper in Europe, both writing on paper and (later) its local
manufacture were introduced from the south to the north and from the west to
the east. It is therefore no surprise that the earliest known document written
upon paper in this part of Europe is the document drawn up in the Kingdom of
Hungary, which since 1310 was ruled by the Angevins of Naples (House of
Anjou). Cardinal Gentilis used a sheet of Italian paper for that document, dated
12 May 1310 in Pozsony or Preßburg (since 1918 as Bratislava), in the Kingdom
of Hungary.62 In another publication, the same historical event is mentioned,
albeit without any historical context, as the evidence of the earliest usage of
paper in Slovakia for writing a document.63 In fact, it is the same information as
above, only placed into today’s Slovakia. This demonstrates that the same facts
of paper history may be described in different ways by different authors, and the
various names used in different languages for the same locations of papermills
should be taken into account, together with changes of frontiers and creating
new states.
Regarding the names of the places where papermills were operated, such
names have sometimes even been used after 1945, even when they have ceased
to reflect the historical reality of the situation. For example, East Prussian
61
José Louis Basanta Campos (Coordinador): Marcas de aqua en documentos de los archivos de Galicia. T. VII
and VIII: Siglo XIX. Conde de Fenosa 2002. Valeriya A. Esipova: Filigrani na bumagie sibirskikh dokumentow
XVII-XVIII wiekow [Watermarks in paper of Siberian documents of the 17-18th c.]. Tomsk 2005. Tracings are
supplemented with the scanned images of watermarks.
62
István Bogdán: A magyarországi papíripar története (1530-1900) [History of papermaking in Hungary (1530-
1900)]. Budapest 1963, p. 19.
63
Viliam Decker: Dejiny ručnej výroby papiera na Slovensku [History of hand papermaking in Slovakia]. Martin
1982, p. 11.

26
papermaking was described by Kohtz in his dissertation defended in the
Albertus-Universität at Königsberg, and later published in Stallupönen.64
However, those historical German names, like German names of the locations of
those East Prussian papermills, have not been in use after 1945, and in addition,
other historical names in Polish or Lithuanian languages of such places are also
not used in their greater part. Also in other parts of the region discussed various
names of papermills are present in paper-historical studies. For this reason, in
this presentation of hand papermaking in the region discussed, these various
names that are present in paper-historical publications will be recalled to denote
papermills and/or their locations, trying to present the name used by the quoted
author as first one. However, the reader is also informed about current names of
discussed places. Nonetheless, English versions of some names will not be
presented here as not used in paper-historical studies in the discussed region.
Keeping in mind the limitations of this presentation, only certain papermaking
centres and/or some of the longer-active papermills of that region will be
discussed as examples of making paper by hand in various parts of the discussed
region.
From the very beginning of paper propagation, both east central and east
southern parts of Europe were supplied with paper from Italy. Later on, French,
German, and Dutch papers were also in use in northern parts of the region
discussed, however, paper from Germany and Austria was also used in its
central parts. Nevertheless, paper was also exported from some parts of the
region discussed during periods of highly-developed paper productivity. The
latter fact will also be discussed below.
It should be remembered that after the destruction carried out by the
Mongols at Poland and Hungary in the thirteenth century, the existing process of
migration and colonisation by German settlers was officially accelerated.
German law governed the rebuilt cities, which accepted a growing population of

64
Hans Kohtz: Ostpreuβische Papierfabrikation. Stallupönen 1935.

27
German burghers and merchants. Such conditions were also favourable for the
activities of German craftsmen, and therefore German papermakers played a
leading role in the papermaking of the region discussed. However, papermakers
from Poland are also sometimes mentioned in sources as contributors to the
development of making paper by hand in some places. In general, the technique
of making paper by hand in the region discussed was a continuation of the
technique developed in Italy with its further modifications and improvements.

Making paper by hand in the northern part of Central and Eastern

Europe
Starting from the north, three longer active paper mills in Estonia should be
presented. In the mill established in Härjapea, mentioned also as Tallinn
(formerly also known as Reval), paper was made by hand within the years 1662-
67 and 1677-1710. In the Sulu paper mill (the Haimre manor) paper was
manufactured from 1717 to 1795. The Räpina paper mill, where machine-made
paper was started in 1865, is still active. Making paper by hand in this mill,
mentioned also as Räppin, started in 1734(36).65
Under the influence of Poland, interest in papermaking rose in Livonia,
according to the privilege given in 1583 by Stephen Bathory, the King of
Poland. However, the first documented papermill in Latvia was established in
the second half of the 17th century at Tome (Thomsdorf), in the Polish fief of
Courland, thanks to the activities of Herzog Jakob. The first known watermark
from this mill is seen in the paper of a 1664 document: T C (Thomsdorf
Courland). Among three mills in the close vicinity of the town of Riga,
established in the second part of the eighteenth century, only the mill in
Zasulauka (Sassenhof) was active for any period of time, between the years
1765-1806; writing paper of good quality was also manufactured there, and its

65
Jean Lehtaru: Estonia. In: http://conservation.evtek.fi/history. Leo Utter, Õie Utter: Wasserzeichen aus
Räppinschen Papiermühlen. In: International Paper History 2 (1992), no. 2, pp. 30f.

28
watermark is presented in Fig.6.66 In general, the master papermakers active in
this area were mainly German, but Swedes were also present.67

Fig.6: Watermark (reduced) dated 1768 of the papermill in Zasulauka (Sassenhof), after
Jenss (cf. note 66, Abb.4).

In accordance with the will of the last Grand Master, Albrecht von
Hohenzollern, as expressed at the end of 1523, first papermill and printing office
in East Prussia were established at Königsberg. The papermill was active from
1524 (or 1525) to 1596; however, early papers were probably manufactured
there without any watermark.68 After the secularisation of the Teutonic Order
and the adoption of the Lutheran faith, the new coat of arms, depicting a black
eagle with a crown on its neck and the letter S on its breast, was given on 10
April 1525 in Kraków by Sigismund I the Old, to the province which henceforth
was called Ducal Prussia. Albrecht von Hohenzollern, a nephew of Sigismund I
the Old, became a hereditary duke owing fealty to the King of Poland.69 This
coat of arms with the letter S, the first letter of Sigismund I the Old, King of
Poland and Duke of Prussia, became a motif of watermarks applied in East
Prussian papermills. One such early watermark of the mill at Königsberg (in
Polish Królewiec, in Lithuanian Karaliaučius, now in Russian Kaliningrad) is
reproduced in Fig.7.70

66
Geo A. Jenss: Historische Quellen über die Herstellung und den Verkauf von Papier in Riga am Ende des 18,
und Anfang des 19, Jahrhunderts. In: IPH Yearbook of Paper History, Vol. 2 (1981), pp. 335-352, Abb. 4.
67
Ibid.: Die Beteiligung ausländischer Papiermeister und Gesellen am Aufbau und Betrieb der Papierindustrie
Lettlands. In: IPH Yearbook of Paper History, Vol. 2 (1981), pp. 329-333.
68
Kohtz, (cf. note 64), pp. 39-43.
69
Stefan K. Kuczyński: Polskie herby ziemskie [Polish territorial arms]. Warszawa 1993, pp. 206-209.
70
Włodzimierz Budka: Herby Prus Królewskich i Prus Książęcych jako znaki wodne [Arms of Royal Prussia
and Ducal Prussia as watermarks]. In: Przegląd Biblioteczny 11 (1937), pp. 289-292, Fig. 1.

29
Fig.7: Watermark (reduced) depicting the coat of arms of Ducal Prussia, found by Budka in
a manuscript of 1533 (cf. note 70, Fig. 1).

This ‘Adler’ watermark was later modified in many variants, especially after the
sovereignty of Ducal Prussia was recognised in 1657, and after the Kingdom in
Prussia was proclaimed in 1700.71 Other typical motifs seen in the watermarks of
those papermills were called in German: ‘Marienbild’, ‘Karpen’ (i.e. Karpfen),
and ‘Nelken’.
Making paper by hand was further developed in East Prussia during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with larger and longer-active mills in
Marienwerder, Trutenau, and Kiauten. Regarding the town of Marienwerder
(now Kwidzyn), papermills were active in its vicinity, for example, at Bogusch
(Bogusz) within the years 1586-1619, and at Semler (now Dankowo, within the
boundaries of Kwidzyn) from about 1590 to about 1850.72 Niclas Fehler was the
first papermaker in the latter mill and his watermark of 1593, with his initials
NF, is shown in Fig. 8.73

Fig.8: Watermark (reduced) of the Semler papermill (now Dankowo, within the boundaries
of Kwidzyn), depicting a simplified version of the coat of arms of Ducal Prussia, with the
initials of Niclas Fehler, found by Kohtz in a document of 1593 (cf. note 71, WZ. 6).

71
Hans Kohtz: Ostpreußische Adler-Wasserzeichen im Wandel der Zeit. In: Papiergeschichte 1 (1951), Nr. 1, pp.
47-53.
72
Roemer, (cf. note 12), pp. 155-163.
73
Kohtz, (cf. note 71), p. 50, WZ 6.

30
North of Königsberg, at Trutenau (now Medwedewka, in the Kaliningrad
region), a town owned by the Radziwiłł (Radvila) family of the Lithuanian
aristocracy, a fulling mill (Walkmühle) was converted (1666) by Christoph
Heindrich into a papermill. Later the mill was enlarged, and in 1798/99 about
4000 reams of paper were manufactured there, together with some quantities of
board and of high quality pressboard. In 1855 a paper-making machine was
installed in this mill.74 The value of paper products manufactured in 1800 at
Trutenau amounted to 8440 Rhein thalers.
A little bit higher value (9000 Rhein thalers) had at that time the hand-
made paper products manufactured in Kiauten (now Smirnowo, in the
Kaliningrad region, near the frontier with Poland).75 The Kiauten mill, the first
papermill in ‘Lithauischen Departement’, was built by ‘Papiermachergesell’
Ludwig Zieser (1734), and in 1843 a paper machine was installed there. It was
also a large mill in which about 4000 reams of various kinds of paper were
manufactured per year, according to the reports from the years 1744-1756.76
There was acute shortage of rags and raw materials for making animal glue
for papermaking at that time. Jan Jakub Kanter published in Kwidzyn a renewed
and tightened-up edict (issued on 16 October 1777 at Berlin) before the end of
1777 in a bi-lingual version, German and Polish (see Fig.9).77

74
Ibid., (cf. note 64), pp. 66-81.
75
Ibid., p. 142.
76
Ibid., pp. 99-103.
77
Dąbrowski/Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 13), pp. 176f, Fig. 45.

31
Fig.9: The edict prohibiting the export of rags and other raw materials for making paper,
issued on 16 October 1777 at Berlin, and later published at Kwidzyn in a bi-lingual German &
Polish version, according to Dąbrowski and Siniarska-Czaplicka (cf. note 13, p. 176, Fig.45).

Michael Kongehl, a poet of German baroque, should be recalled here, as the

author of this short piece of poetry entitled Auff eine Papier-Mühle, (published
with his other verses in 1683 at Königsberg), quoted here after Kohtz:78
Wir machen die Sachen die nimmer vergehn
aus Tücher die Bücher die immer bestehen;
Wir schikken zu drükken den Drukkern von hier
die geben das Leben dem todten Papier;
dort stampffen die Stampffen die Hadern und Lumpen
dort strudeln und wudeln die plumpenden Pumpen;
dort presset, dort lässet man leimen Papier;
dort schälet und zählet und giebt mans herfür.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, nineteen papermills were operated
in East Prussia. After 1945 the places where these mills had been run became
78
Hans Kohtz: Der Herkunft ostpreussischer Papiermacher. In: Papiergeschichte 4 (1954), Nr. 1, pp. 8f.
His Note Nr. 8: „Alle hier erwähnten Gedichte von Michael Kongehl stehen in seinem Buche: Der Belustigung
bey der Unlust; Königsberg, 1683.“

32
situated mainly in the Kaliningrad region of Russia and in Poland, and one place
is in Lithuania, i.e., Wischwill (in Lithuanian Viešvilė). Only the buildings of
the Grünheide papermill have partly survived the stormy history of this area; see
Fig.10. Currently the mill produces electric energy and is something of a serious
obstacle to tourists travelling by canoe on the picturesque route of the Krutynia
River (below the village of Krutyń), in the place now called in Poland Zielony
Lasek. The mill was established in 1765 at an unspecified area near Rataywolla,
which was initially called ‘Papiermühle’, and later became known as
Grünheide.79

Fig.10: Buildings of the Grünheide mill, in the place which since 1945 has been called
Zielony Lasek; photograph taken by the author in 2005.

Among these nineteen papermills there were two Polish mills in Ermland
(Warmia, in Polish), annexed in 1772 by the Kingdom of Prussia during the
First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian state. Kohtz described these two mills
situated in Wadang (now Wadąg) and Wusen (formerly Woźno, now Osetnik),
recalling their former attachment to Poland.80 Trunz added new details to the
history of these mills. In Wusen, paper manufacture started about 1700,
according to the first known watermark of this mill dated 1703, with the initials

79
Kohtz, (cf. note 64), pp. 110f.
80
Ibid., pp. 115-121.

33
of papermaker: CGB, still indecipherable. First known papermaker in this mill is
Joseph Hempel the elder (the son of Johann Andreas Hempel), who ran this mill
from 1735 to c. 1760. In 1860 the Wusen papermill was converted to a corn
mill.81 In Wadang, a papermill was built in 1715 by Johan Andreas Hempel, who
ran this mill until his death (1733). The mill was stopped in 1866. 82 Additional
information about these mills and their papermakers was published by Hempel,
the eighth descendant (in Polish line) of Jan Andrzej Hempel. In historical
sources this surname is also written as Hempell or Hampel, and, according to the
tradition of this catholic family, its ancestors left Scotland for Poland to find
religious toleration in their new homeland.83
While mentioning Ermland papermaking, Kohtz wrote some general
remarks about the links between hand papermaking in East Prussia and in
Poland, such as:
Der Lumpenhandel hin und herüber war bis auf die kurze Unterbrechung von 1747 bis 53
vom Könige von Preußen und dem Bischof von Ermland freigegeben. Preußisches Papier
wurde nach Polen und polnisches, besonders Danziger, nach Preußen gehandelt, und die
Papiermacher arbeiteten in Ermland in gleicher Weise wie auf preußischen Mühlen. Dieser
wechselseitige Verkehr bezog sich nicht nur auf Ermland, sondern auf Polen überhaupt,
zum mindesten auch auf die benachbarten Gebiete des späteren West- und Neuostpreußen.
Auch polnische Magnaten bemühten sich zur Zeit des Merkantilismus, auf ihren
Besitzungen Manufakturen zu errichten, und zogen dazu deutsche Handwerker ins Land.84

During the eighteenth century, especially in its second half, and also in the first
half of the nineteenth century, hand-made papers from East Prussian mills were
sold to neighbouring countries, frequently to Lithuania. The largest published
collection of Prussian watermarks, which have still not been fully deciphered, is
available in a highly interesting album elaborated by Laucevičius, with tracings
81
Hansheinrich Trunz: Die ermländischen Papiermühlen Wusen und Wadang. In: Zeitschrift für die Geschichte
und Altertumskunde Ermlands 38 (1976), Heft 99, pp. 53-79 (plus 66 watermarks, mainly 1:1), here pp. 62-65.
82
Ibid., pp. 65-71.
83
Kazimierz Hempel: 160 lat warmińskiego papiernictwa [160 years of Warmia papermaking]. In: Przegląd
Papierniczy 38 (1982), pp. 193-198.
84
Kohtz, (cf. note 64)., p. 128f.

34
of watermarks, both domestic and foreign, present in the paper of documents
gathered in Lithuanian archives.85

Hand papermaking was initiated in Lithuania at the same time as in East Prussia.
The first paper mill was established in 1524 at Vilnius (Wilno), according to the
privilege given by Sigismund I the Old (Žygimantas Senasis), who was the
Grand Duke of Lithuania. In the opinion of Laucevičius (which is not commonly
accepted), two papermills were built in 1524 in Vilnius; one was run by San
Vernart and the second by Karulus Vernart, two brothers from Switzerland. The
first mill was active until 1610, and the second one to 1741. 86 The watermark of
the first mill is shown in Fig.11, depicting the coat of arms of Leo Sapieha
(Leonas Sapiega), the Chancellor of Lithuania.87

Fig.11: Watermark (reduced) of the Vilnius (Wilno) papermill, depicting the coat of arms of
Leo Sapieha, the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, found by Laucevičius (cf. note
85) in a document of 1598.

Vilnius, the capital city, was the main centre of Lithuanian hand papermaking,
and about 11 papermills were built in its immediate vicinity before 1800. Their
activities were interrupted for some periods, and the history of a few of them is
not well-known. Also, the town of Kaunas (Kowno) should be mentioned as a
papermaking centre; the first papermill was built there on municipal land by
Georg Reiner in 1578. The same papermaker built a new and much larger
papermill in Kaunas about 1590. The third papermill at Kaunas, owned by the

85
Edmundas Laucevičius: Popierus Lietuvoje XV–XVIII a. [Paper in Lithuania in XV-XVIII c.]. 2 Vol’s.
Vilnius 1967. One volume with text, another volume (Atlasas) with tracings of 4276 watermarks.
86
Ibid., pp. 57f, 277.
87
Ibid., Atlasas, watermark no.1867.

35
town, also started work about 1590; however, its subsequent history remains
obscure. By 1780 there was no longer any active papermill in the town.88 In
Fig.12 watermark of the second papermill in Kaunas is shown.89

Fig.12: Watermark (reduced) of the Kaunas (Kowno) papermill, depicting the coat of arms
of Lithuania, found by Laucevičius in a document of 1595.

Paper mills established in other parts of Lithuania by landlords, both noble

families and reach burghers, were usually leased to master papermakers. Similar
conditions obtained in Belarus, which was united with Lithuania in the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania; the first papermill was built there about 1590, on the
property of the mighty Zenowicz (Zenavičius) family at Smurgainiai (now
Smarhon, also known as Smorgonie); however, the mill was not active after
1629.90 A longer-active papermill was established in 1607 by Chancellor Leo
Sapieha in his residence at Rožana (now Ružany, also known as Różana), where
paper was manufactured until 1747.91 About 1690 the papermill was built at
Lyskava (Łyskawa) estate owned by Samuel D. Bychowiec (Samuelis D.
Bichovcas) and his wife Kristina of the Polish line of the Dönhoff family. The
mill was active until the 1760s.92 In the watermark of this mill (see Fig.13), the
coats of arms of both spouses are depicted.93

88
Ibid., pp. 73-76, 279.
89
Ibid., Atlasas, watermark no. 3489
90
Ibid., pp. 90, 281.
91
Ibid., pp. 90f, 281.
92
Ibid., pp. 102f, 283.
93
Ibid., Atlasas, watermark no. 1063

36
Fig.13: Watermark (reduced) of the Lyskava (Łyskawa) papermill, with the coats of arms of
its owners, found by Laucevičius in a document of 1695.

Coats of arms were leading motifs of watermarks in hand-made papers in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the Horodło Agreement (1413) gave the
nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania similar rights to their peers in Poland,
and fifty noble families were adopted into the coats of arms of Polish noble
families; therefore such coats of arms and their alterations depicted in
watermarks applied by the papermills of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania could
not be considered as Polish. The Union of Lublin (1569) united the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland into the ‘Commonwealth’
(Rzeczpospolita) in which Podlasie and the palatinates of Ukraine (Volhynia,
Bracłav, and Kyjiv) were joined to Poland.
In the sixteenth century, paper was imported to the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania also from Poland; however, later Lithuanian paper was sent to Russia,
and could occasionally be found in Poland. Quite recently, paper from the
municipal papermill of Vilnius, located in Paplauja (Popławy), a suburb of
Vilnius, was found in Finnish archives, dated from 1616 to 1649.94 The wars in
the middle of the seventeenth century caused an economic collapse in the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania, but its papermaking was partly reactivated later on.

Probably Italian craftsmen introduced papermaking to Poland. Three Italians,

brothers Bonacursi (Bernard and Jakub) of Florence and Laurence of Lucca,
who in 1394 settled it the town of Kazimierz (now within the boundaries of
Kraków), started manufacturing felted woven woollen cloth using the Italian
94
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark nos. from 565 to 569, p. A 189.

37
technique. In 1396 they delivered their cloth to Jan of Zarnowiec, to the amount
of 20 marks, as well as paper to the amount of 15 marks; one mark equalled
about 200 grams of silver. It was not difficult to adapt a part of the fulling mill
to making paper. However, any further documents about their activities remain
unknown, and in the opinion of Ptaśnik, it may be that those Italian cloth makers
made an attempt to manufacture paper near Kraków at the turn of the fourteenth
century, but their work proved unprofitable owing to the relatively limited
demand for paper, as well the fact of strong competition from foreign mills.95
The first Polish papermill with its activity documented both in the sources
and by surviving paper samples was established in 1491 at Prądnik Czerwony,
now within the boundaries of Kraków. Fryderyk Szyling, a rich merchant and
councillor of Kraków, founded this mill on the land leased by the monastery of
the Holy Spirit de Saxia, and Mathias (Matys) Koch of Reutlingen started
making paper there.96 This mill, like many others in Poland, did not survive the
so called ‘Swedish deluge’ (1655-60). The leading motif of its watermarks was
the double-barred cross, i.e. the emblem of the Holy Spirit de Saxia, the order
introduced to Poland in 1220 from France. However, watermarks depicting a
bull’s head were also applied in the initial period of its activity. Jan Haller, who
in 1503 established a press run by skilled printers in Kraków, acquired the rights
to this mill in 1510, and his printer’s mark was used during the years 1511-32 at
Prądnik Czerwony as a watermark, either alone or as an element at the top of the
bull’s head (see Fig.14).97

95
Jan Ptaśnik: Cracovia Impressorum XV et XVI Saeculorum. Monumenta Poloniae Typographica. Vol. 1.
Lwów 1922, p. 113.
96
Kazimierz Piekarski: Memoriał o początku i sukcesjej papierni prądnickiej [Memorial on the origin and the
later history of the Prądnik papermill]. Kraków 1926, pp. 27-30.
97
Dąbrowski/Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 13), pp. 104, 329.

38
Fig.14: The printer’s mark of Jan Haller (of 1506) together with his watermark of 1526
(both reduced), according to Dąbrowski and Siniarska-Czaplicka (cf. note 13).

At least at the very beginning of the sixteenth century (an exact date remains
unknown), another paper mill was built by Bernard (Werner) Jeckel (Jocklin), a
Swiss papermaker, on land owned by the Cistercian monastery in Mogiła (Clara
Tumba), now within the boundaries of Kraków. The example of an early
watermark of this mill (see Fig.15) depicts the crosier over the bull’s head.98

Fig.15: Watermark (reduced) of the Mogiła (Clara Tumba) paper mill found by Budka (cf.
note 98) in a document of 1504.

In the Kraków area, which at that time was the main papermaking centre in
Poland, thirteen papermills were founded before the end of the sixteenth century
(see Fig.16).99 However, 21 papermills were active at that time in the Kraków
Palatinate; 6 of those mills have not been localised yet, but papers with their
watermarks have survived.

98
Włodzimierz Budka: Papiernie w Polsce XVI wieku. Prace F. Piekosińskiego, J. Ptaśnika i K. Piekarskiego
powtórnie wydał i uzupełnił W. Budka [Sixteenth-century papermills in Poland. Works by Piekosiński, Ptaśnik,
and Piekarski re-edited with additional material by Budka]. Wrocław 1971, watermark no. 38.
99
Dąbrowski/Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 13), p. 254, Fig. 2.

39
Fig.16: Documented sixteenth-century papermills situated in the Kraków area, according to
Dąbrowski and Siniarska-Czaplicka (cf. note 13).
1). Prądnik Czerwony (Prądnik Wielki, Prądnik Duchacki, Rauchmyl), now in Kraków, from
1491 to about the middle of the 17th c.; 2). Mogiła (Clara Tumba), now in Kraków, from at
least at the very beginning of the 16th c. to the second half of the 17 th c.; 3). Balice, from 1518-
21 to 1627; 4). Prądnik Biały (Prądnik Mały, Prądnik Biskupi, Żabi Młyn, i.e. Froggy Mill),
now in Kraków, from before 1531 to the mid-17th c.; 5). Tenczynek, from 1536-37 to the
second half of the 17th c.; 6). Krzeszowice, from 1536-37 to the middle of the 19th c.
(changing locations in Krzeszowice); 7). Wilczkowice, from before 1549 to the 1770s; 8).
Młodziejowice, from before 1553 to the mid-17th c.; 9). Okleśna, from before 1557 to 1816;
10). Grembienice, from about 1560 almost to the end of the 17th c.; 11). Starczynów (Żurada),
the municipal papermill of Olkusz, from 1568 to 1620-50; 12). Czajowice, from before 1581
(with interruptions) to the 1820s (at that time as Prądnik Czajowski); 13). Podchełmie (now
Kochanów), from about 1585 to 1632-48

Not so far from Kraków, three papermills were established in the sixteenth
century. Before 1572 (perhaps in 1560) a papermill was built in Siedlec (later
Sielec), now within the boundaries of Sosnowiec. In this mill, owned by the
Minor family, paper was watermarked with their coat of arms depicting the
donkey’s head. In Poczesna, a papermill was founded shortly after 1583. In
Mniszek paper manufacture was started before 1575, in the mill established by
the Cistercian monastery. The coats of arms of subsequent abbots were motifs of
the watermarks applied by the latter mill.100
Hand papermaking in the Kraków area, although initiated by foreigners,
was later reinforced by local craftsmen; however, in the opinion of Piekosiński,
an early student of watermarks and a Professor of the Jagiellonian University,
not all Kraków papermakers bearing German names could be recognised as

100
Dąbrowski/Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 13), pp. 260f.

40
foreigners because at that time a major part of burghers in Kraków used German
surnames; as stated in his 1893 album with 795 tracings of watermarks.101
Nevertheless, German papermakers from abroad who settled in Poland made an
outstanding contribution to the development of papermaking in Poland and to
Polish culture. The same can be said about the early printers of German origin.
Curiously enough, in Kraków the early printers of German origin refused to
print in German.102 The situation was different in northern parts of Poland,
which had a denser German population.
In 1896 Piekosiński published his second watermark album; however, it
contained only the bull’s head watermarks shown in 324 tracings.103 The fate of
other parts of his rich collection of early watermarks remains unknown.
Piekosiński traced the early watermarks seen in paper of the manuscripts extant
in domestic libraries and archives; however, some of the watermarks of the
fourteenth century, published by Piekosiński, had been traced by W. Frenzl, a
custodian in the Municipal Library of the town of Breslau (Wrocław), and the
tracings were presented to F. Piekosiński by Dr Markgraf, a head of the Library.
Both these publications by Piekosiński documented mostly Italian papers.

The senior Kraków papermakers were probably responsible for preparing the
regulations for the papermaking craft approved (1546) in the Latin document
Confirmatio articulorum artificii papiracii, by Sigismund I the Old, King of
Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Mazovia, etc. The original
document has not survived. Its text, however, is recorded in the Register for
1546 of the Vice-Chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland (Bishop Samuel
Maciejowski) which is preserved in Warszawa in the Central Archives of
Ancient Documents (AGAD), as Volume 71 of the Metryka Koronna (Register

101
Franciszek Piekosiński: Średniowieczne znaki wodne. Wiek XIV [Medieval watermarks. The 14th century].
Kraków 1893, p. 7.
102
Ptaśnik, (cf. note 95), p. 135.
103
Franciszek Piekosiński: Wybór znaków wodnych z XV stulecia [The selected watermarks of the 15th
century]. Kraków 1896.

41
of the Crown), a folio on paper from the Prądnik Czerwony mill.104 A preamble
to the document, which is the earliest known document in Europe that
illuminates the nature of a papermakers’ statute, is reproduced in Fig.17.

Fig.17: A preamble to the Confirmation approved by King Sigismund I the Old in 1546 at
Kraków; reproduced with permission from AGAD at Warszawa.

Following Jan Haller, some other Kraków printers were also involved in
papermaking, including Mark Scharffenberg and his son Walenty, as well as
Mateusz Zybeneicher. Kraków was an important centre of printing at that time,
however, it was not comparable in the efficiency and productivity of printing
matters with more developed centres of printing, such as the town of Cologne
(Köln) in Germany105; nevertheless, it was of significance to the region
discussed. Kraków saw the first books in the world to be printed with Cyrillic
types, shortly before 1490 by Szwajpolt Fiol (Veyl); as well as the first prints in
Hungarian language (1527) by Hieronim Wietor, who printed the first
Hungarian book (1533). Also, the first book entirely published in Polish was
printed in Kraków (1513) by Florian Ungler, and Wietor printed the first book in
Poland to be published in Greek. The Helicz brothers established a printing
office (1534) in the nearby town of Kazimierz where they printed the first
104
Dąbrowski/Simmons, (cf. note 14), p.46.
105
Piekarski, (cf. note 95), p. 18.

42
Hebrew books in Poland. Stanislaus Polonus, who together with Meinard Ungut
established a printing office in Sevilla, Spain, early in 1491, was also probably
connected with Kraków.106

Papermaking was well developed in the northern part of Poland called Pomorze,
and the name, denoting the land approaching ‘up to the sea’ (‘po morze’), was
transformed into Latin ‘Pomerania’ and German ‘Pommern’. In the sixteenth
century paper was efficiently manufactured in the city of Gdańsk (and in its
vicinity too), better known under the German name the Danzig used by the
majority of its citizens. Nonetheless, the very beginnings of papermaking in this
area are not clear. Quite recently, Roemer presented an interesting attempt to
recapitulate the history of papermaking also in this area, see Fig.18.107

Fig.18: Papermills in the Danzig (Gdańsk) area, according to Roemer (cf. note 12, Abb. 20).
Polish equivalents of the names used in the map, going from the north: Gdingen – Gdynia,
Klein Katz – Mały Kack (now in Gdynia), Kolibken – Kolibki (now in Gdynia), Steinfließ –
Kamienny Potok (now in Sopot), Zoppot – Sopot, Carlikau - Karlikowo (now in Sopot), Oliva
– Oliwa (now in Gdańsk), Gletkau – Jelitkowo (now in Gdańsk), Konradshammer – the name
of the mill, now at Przymorze in Gdańsk, Brentau – Brętowo (now in Gdańsk), Weichsel –
Wisła, Radaune – Radunia, Zuckau – Żukowo, Karthaus – Kartuzy, Lappin – Łapino,
Straschin – Straszyn, Groβ Bölkau – Bielkowo, Gischkau – Juszkowo, Russoschin – Rusocin.

106
Józef Dąbrowski: The Beginnings of Papermaking in Poland. In: IPH Congress Book, Vol. 9 (1992), pp. 63-
83, here pp. 66f.
107
Roemer, (cf. note 12), p. 55, Abb. 20.

43
Regarding the area presented in the above map, the earliest references to
papermaking relate to Danzig (1473)108, Groβ Bölkau (1486)109, and Zuckau
(1512).110 However, these references do not have any further confirmations, and
so no early papers from these mills are known. Early papers contained as a
watermark the arms of Gdańsk, in which the royal crown (granted to the town in
1457 by Casimir the Jagiellon, King of Poland) was placed inside the shield
above two crosses. Sometimes the royal crown was omitted or the crown
surmounted the shield; see Fig.19, according to Kohtz.111

Fig.19: The earliest known watermark (reduced) of the Danzig (Gdańsk) papermill, found
by Kohtz in a manuscript dated 1508.

The activities of the Gdańsk/Danzig papermill were stopped in 1611; however,

the watermark with the coat of arms of this town continued to be applied in mills
outside the town, also by Heinrich Probstly (Brobstly) the younger, who ran the
papermill at Straszyn had been established before 1570 by Melchior Glaubicz.112
Initially this mill probably used the watermark shown in Fig.20, depicting the
arms of Glaubicz with the initials CG.113 In my opinion, the letters should be
understood as first letters in Latin describing Glaubicz’s position on the town
council: Councillor Gedanensis.

108
Ibid., p. 82.
109
Ibid., p. 97.
110
Ibid., p. 227.
111
Kohtz, (cf. note 64), p. 20, WZ 23.
112
Budka, (cf. note 98), p. 60, note 135.
113
Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka: Filigrany papierni położonych na obszarze Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, od
początku XVI do połowy XVIII wieku [Watermarks of papermills located on the territory of the Polish
Commonwealth, from the beginning of the 16th c. to the middle of the 18th c.]. Wrocław 1969, wm. no. 1204

44
Fig.20: Watermark (reduced) depicting the arms of Glaubicz, found by Siniarska-Czaplicka
(cf. note 113) in a manuscript of 1578.

Heinrich Probstly the younger also used watermarks with fish, but in a double
circle, with an encircling legend containing his name and surname. His son
Nathaniel continued this custom. The Straschin (Straszyn) papermill was active
(with interruptions) to the middle of the nineteenth century.114 Many different
variants of fish were applied as a motif in the watermarks of Pomeranian
papermills. Before 1634, fish in a double circle were also applied as a motif of
the watermark in the papermill at Bielkowo, established shortly after 1600 and
belonging to the Carthusian monastery. The encircling legend refers to the
‘Carthusian Paradise of Mary’ (see Fig.21).115 In this mill paper was made by
hand until machine papermaking was introduced, with some interruptions.

Fig.21: Early watermark (reduced) of the Bielkowo (Groβ Bölkau) papermill belonging to
the Carthusian monastery at Kartuzy, found by Budka (cf. note 115) in a manuscript of 1611.

Regarding other papermills present in the map (Fig.18) elaborated by Roemer,

the Konradshammer mill was founded at the beginning of the seventeenth
century, but the greater part of the mills was established in the second half of the
seventeenth century. However, the mills founded in Gischkau, Russoschin, and
Lappin were built in the eighteenth century. Some of the above-mentioned mills
manufactured hand-made paper, with interruptions, until machine papermaking
was introduced. The existence of a papermill at Brentau is not certain.
114
Roemer, (cf. note 12), p. 208-212.
115
Włodzimierz Budka: Review of the articles by Friedrich von Hössle in ‘Der Papier-Fabrikant’ Jg. XXXII
(1934). In: Przegląd Biblioteczny 12 (1938), pp. 175-184, here p. 181, watermark no. 7.

45
 Not so far from Gdańsk, a papermill was active in Elbląg. Its watermarks
were published by Siniarska-Czaplicka116 and by Budka.117 Roemer published
some details from the history of the Elbing papermill.118

An important centre of papermaking in Poland was the area surrounding the city
of Poznań, the capital of Great Poland (from Polonia Maior, i.e. Poland the
Elder), where the creation of Polish state had been started by the Piast dynasty.
The first papermill in the Poznań area (Posen, in studies by Briquet) was
established in 1531 at the nearby village of Zawady (now within the boundaries
of Poznań); watermarks of this mill depicted two keys in saltire. The corn mill
called Czerwonak was transformed into papermill about 1545. The last
papermill (the fifth or sixth) founded near Poznań before 1600 was established
in 1593 at the village of Główna (now within the boundaries of Poznań), and its
watermarks depicted the coats of arms of subsequent Bishops of Poznań.119 Not
so far from Poznań, in Murowana Goślina, a papermill was established about
1580, and to the northwest from Poznań, in Miałła, a papermill was founded by
Stanisław Górka about 1551. His coat of arms (depicting a boat) was a motif of
the watermarks used in this mill. Not so far from Miałła, there were three
papermills established at the beginning of the seventeenth century, in Chełst,
Herbardów, and Folsztynów.120 Earlier, about 1585, a papermill was built in the
village of Wąsosz, near the town of Złotów, owned by the Potulicki family.121
Writing paper of a high quality manufactured in this mill was found by Lindberg
in Finnish archives.122 These mills were annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in

116
Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 113), watermarks nos. 195 (1527), 192 (1613), and 194 (1617).
117
Budka, (cf. note 98), watermark no. 276 (1617).
118
Roemer, (cf. note 12), pp. 86ff.
119
Włodzimierz Budka: Papiernie poznańskie [The Poznań papermills]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy 10 (1954), pp.
216-221, 251-254.
120
Stanisław Żurowski: Rękodzielnicze papiernictwo wielkopolskie do połowy XVII w. [Hand papermaking in
Great Poland until the middle of the 17th c.] In: Studia z Dziejów Rzemiosła i Przemysłu, Vol. 4 (1964), pp. 97-
161, here pp. 116-120.
121
Franciszek Pabich: Dzieje złotowskiej papierni w Wąsoszu [The history of the Złotów papermill in Wąsosz].
In: Przegląd Papierniczy 41 (1985), pp. 186ff.
122
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark nos. 96 and 97 (both dated 1608), p. A157.

46
1772, and Roemer published some additional remarks on activities of these mills
located in Neuteich (Chełst),123 Ehrbardorf (Herbardów),124 Follstein
(Folsztynów),125 and Wonzow (Wąsosz).126
Turning to the east, in Przysiersk a papermill was established by Jerzy
Konopacki within the years 1549-1564, in the opinion of Budka.127 According to
this author, in similar time (1551-1559) a papermill was founded in Pruska Łąka
by Jan Stroband, a patrician and councilor in the city of Toruń.128 Roemer
published additional information about the Przysiersk papermill,129 as well as
about the Preussisch Lanke (Pruska Łąka) mill.130 In the opinion of Roemer, also
the city of Thorn possessed its own papermill built within the boundaries of the
city; in the place marked as “K. Ort der papier mühl” found by Roemer in two
copies of the “Stadtansicht von Thorn”, both dated 1659.131 According to my
request, Joanna Konkolewska-Buchholz of the State Archive (Archiwum
Państwowe) in Toruń, together with co-workers and historians, carried out
investigations into the question, achieving the negative results. Moreover, I was
kindly supplied with information about two important publications.132 In 1832
elaboration, Prätorius, at that time Bürgermeister of Thorn, described different
mills operated from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, none of them was
a papermill.133 Mikulski published in 1999 the detailed results gained in his
thorough studies devoted (among others) to the distribution of representatives of
various professions within the limited urban space of the city of Toruń and to the
socio-topographical transformations in this city, from the end of the fourteenth

123
Roemer, (cf. note 12), pp. 260f.
124
Ibid., pp. 250-253.
125
Ibid., p. 256.
126
Ibid., pp. 219-224.
127
Budka, (cf. note 98), p. 60, note 135.
128
Ibid.
129
Roemer, (cf. note 12), pp. 189f.
130
Ibid., pp. 185-188.
131
Ibid., pp. 213ff.
132
Information in her letter to me dated 27 August 2001, in Toruń.
133
Karl Gotthelf Prätorius: Topographische, historische, statistische Beschreibung der Stadt Thorn und ihres
Gebietes […]. Zweites Heft, Bogen 10-18. Thorn 1832, pp. 167-172.

47
century to the beginning of the eighteenth century. Mikulski has found neither
papermill, nor papermakers in Toruń.134

In Warszawa, a papermill was founded shortly before 1524, at that time in the
Duchy of Mazovia, which became incorporated to Poland after the death of
Duke Janusz (1526), the last representative of the Piast Dynasty in Poland.135
Archbishop Jakub Uchański established (1562-65) another papermill in
Mazovia, at Kęszyce.136 Turning to the southeast from Warszawa, in a papermill
at Kock owned by the Firlej family (the Lewart arms, depicting a leopard) paper
production was started shortly before 1546. Earlier (1538) papermaking began
in Lublin, and the mill destroyed by fire (1564) was later rebuilt and enlarged.137
To 1593, paper was watermarked in the Lublin mill with the Topór (axe) coat of
arms (see Fig.22)138, the most popular motif among sixteenth-century Polish
watermarks.

Fig.22: Watermark (reduced) of the Lublin papermill, depicting the Topór (axe) coat of
arms, found by Budka (cf. note 98) in a manuscript of 1545.

The Lublin mill, with its four waterwheels, was the largest Polish papermill at
that time, and its location and appearance were portrayed in 1956 by Walczy139
(see Fig.23), in accordance with extant descriptions of the mill and with the

134
Krzysztof Mikulski: Przestrzeń i społeczeństwo Torunia od końca XIV do początku XVIII wieku [The urban
space and the community of Toruń from the end of the 14th c. to the beginning of the 18th c.], Toruń 1999.
135
Kazimierz Sarnecki: Dokumenty dotyczące założenia pierwszej papierni w Warszawie [Documents on the
establishment of the first papermill in Warszawa]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy 10 (1954), pp.119ff.
136
Włodzimierz Budka, Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka: Papiernia arcybiskupów gnieźnieńskich w Kęszycach pod
Łowiczem [Papermill owned by the Archbishops of Gniezno in Kęszyce near Łowicz]. In: Archeion 42 (1965),
pp. 229-248.
137
Włodzimierz Budka: Papiernie w Lublinie i Kocku [Papermills in Lublin and Kock]. In: Archeion 25 (1956),
pp. 257-275.
138
Ibid., (cf. note 98), watermark no. 207.
139
Stefan Walczy: Rekonstrukcja zabudowań papierni lubelskiej według widoku Brauna [Reconstruction of
buildings of the Lublin papermill in the accordance with its view presented by Braun]. In: Archeion 25 (1956),
pp. 276-280.

48
seventeenth-century engraving published in Cologne by Georg Braun (Theatrum
praecipuarum totium mundi urbium) with the view of Lublin.

Fig.23: An image of the sixteenth-century papermill at Lublin, presented in 1956 by Walczy,

an architect-conservator (cf. note 139).

In northern Poland usually burghers initiated papermaking; however, in other

areas noble families and representatives of the Catholic clergy were much more
active in establishing papermills, and therefore coats of arms of the noble
families are a prevalent motif in Polish watermarks. The still growing
production of paper in Poland, almost until the mid-seventeenth century with
about forty papermills, resulted in neighbouring countries also being supplied
with paper from Poland. There is a lack of any concrete statistics; however, the
watermark albums mentioned above, such as the albums published by
Tromonin, Likhachev, Briquet, and Laucevičius, clearly documented Polish
exports of paper to the east and south of Europe. Paper from northern Poland,
mainly from papermills in Gdańsk/Danzig and in its vicinity, was sent also to
Lithuania, Russia, and Finland.140 Paper from southern Poland was exported to
Slovakia and Hungary, and via Lwów was sent to Moldavia, and probably also
to Persia.141 Most likely, the Odrzykoń papermill in south-eastern Poland
(established before 1546) manufactured paper with the coat of arms of
Moldavia, which was sometimes supplemented with the crowned Eagle of
Poland above the shield; this paper was exported to Moldavia.142 Other examples
140
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark nos. 86-91, 96-97, 369-380, pp. A157, A175.
141
Mieczysław Gębarowicz: Z dziejów papiernictwa XVI-XVIII w. [From the history of papermaking within the
16th-18th c.]. In: Roczniki Biblioteczne 10 (1966), pp. 1-114, here pp. 75-79.
142
Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka: Katalog filigranów papierni polskich 1500-1800 r. [Catalogue of the
watermarks used by Polish papermills from 1500-1800]. Łódź 1983, p. 5, watermark nos. 39-49.

49
of Polish watermarks are quite frequently shown in albums presenting the
watermarks traced from sixteenth-century manuscripts produced on territories
now belonging to Romania143 and Ukraine.144
Wacław Potocki (1621-96), a Polish poet, should be remembered here as
the author of this epigram on paper quoted here in its Polish original, as well as
in a English version, the latter as a free translation by John S.G. Simmons:
Próżna ufność w marmurze Marble is uncertain
Próżna i w żelezie And iron may decay
To trwa do skonu świata But what one writes on paper
Co na papier wlezie Will live to the world’s last day

The initiatives of Polish noble families and of the Catholic clergy were also
significant for the beginning of papermaking in territories near Lwów (now
Lviv, also known as Lemberg), establishing old traditions of papermaking in
today’s Ukraine. Sixteenth-century papermills were founded there, and the first
well-documented papermill was established in 1539-41 at Busk by Andrzej
Górka, whose coat of arms (depicting a boat) was perceived as a watermark in
papers made by hand in Busk until 1586.145 As it was recalled, this influential
Polish family had another paper mill in Miałła (north of the city of Poznań),
which marked its paper with the same coat of arms. 146 The activities of the Busk
mill are well documented until the middle of the seventeenth century, and much
later another paper mill was operated again at that town, albeit for rather a short
period, only in the period 1783-88.147

143
Alexandru Mareş: Filigranele hîrtiei înterbuinţate în ţările Române în secolul al. XVI-lea [Watermarks in
papers used in the Romanian Principalities in the 16th c.]. Bucureşti 1987. [Tracings of 1757 watermarks, among
them 1510 foreign watermarks, in which watermarks of Polish mills are frequent - JD].
144
Karol Badecki: Znaki wodne w księgach archiwum miasta Lwowa 1382 -1600 R. [Watermarks in volumes in
the Lwów municipal archives, 1382-1600]. Lwów 1928. [Tracings of 166 watermarks, mainly of Polish mills –
JD].
145
Gębarowicz, (cf. note 141), pp. 13-34.
146
Żurowski, (cf. note 120), p. 117.
147
Orest J. Matsiuk: Papir ta filigrani na ukrajnskykh zemliakh [Paper and watermarks in Ukrainian lands]. Kyjiv
1974, pp. 29f.

50
 Walenty (Foltyn) Kmeller, a Polish papermaker and the son of Jan Kmeller
who owned the Prądnik Czerwony mill near Kraków (within the years 1562-75),
built a few early papermills in the vicinity of the town of Lwów. Shortly after
1576 Kmeller built the papermill at Łowczyce (now Łiwčyci), which remained
active until 1612. In 1599 this papermaker transformed the corn mill at
Brzuchowice (now Briuchowyči) into the municipal papermill of the town of
Lwów (Lviv), which was closed in 1609. After that Kmeller started making
paper by hand in Zaszków (now Zaškiv), on land owned by the Dominicans of
Lwów, and the papermill was active until 1655.148 Shortly before 1573 the
Dominicans of Łuck established the Nowy Staw (now Nowostaw) papermill,
which was operated almost until 1600. There is a lack of documents about the
activities of the mill in the seventeenth century; however, papers made later in
this village (dated 1730) are known.149 About 1610 the Trzciński family
established a paper mill at Rawa Ruska (in Ukrainian Ravo Rus’ka); now not so
far from the present Polish-Ukrainian border. Papers from this mill watermarked
with their Rawicz (Rawa) arms (depicting a maiden on a bear), are known from
the years 1610-41.150
The last sixteenth-century papermill was established in 1595 at Ostrog by
the Ostrogski family of the Ukrainian aristocracy, to support typographic
activities of the printing office founded there earlier.151 The mill was active until
1654.152 Before 1624, the Radomyszl papermill was established to manufacture
paper for the printing office in Pečerska Ławra, the famous Orthodox monastery
(now within the boundaries of Kyjiv) and the spiritual capital of the Ruthenia.
The Archimandrite Elisues Pleteniecki, the head of the monastery, initiated both
investments. This mill, the most distant in south-eastern Ruthenian land of the
Commonwealth, was operated until the 1680s, although there was a long break
148
Anna Jędrzejowska: Przyczynek do dziejów papiernictwa lwowskiego [A contribution to the history of
papermaking at Lwów]. In: Kwartalnik Historyczny 37 (1923), pp. 129-133.
149
Matsiuk, (cf. note 147), pp. 59f, watermark nos. 433, 558.
150
Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 142), p. 24, watermark nos. 855-863.
151
Gębarowicz, (cf. note 141), pp. 55-62.
152
Matsiuk, (cf. note 147), pp. 60f.

51
after 1648.153 One of the watermarks used in the Radomyszl papermill is shown
below (Fig.24), together with reproductions of two other watermarks (from mills
at Busk and in Ostrog) published by Matsiuk.154

Fig.24: Watermarks (reduced) of the following mills, from the left: a) Busk, dated 1547; b)
Ostrog, dated 1598; c) Radomyszl, dated 1689; all found by Matsiuk (cf. note 147).

The wars in the middle of the seventeenth century resulted in an economic

collapse in the Ruthenian part of the Commonwealth, and in addition, the Truce
of Andrusovo (1667) handed Kyjiv and left-bank Ukraine to Russia. This made
alterations in paper stocks used for printing books on Ukrainian territory which
had become separated from the Commonwealth. In the second half of the
seventeenth century, these stocks became similar to papers used in printing
offices at Moscow,155 with a large admixture of French papers, manufactured
with Dutch enterprise and capital, which were exported to Russia via
Amsterdam. Quite recently, Matsiuk156 published 714 tracings of watermarks,
mainly from the turn of the nineteenth century; he documented the variety of
papers manufactured in different countries, which were used as the basis of the
written records kept in Ukrainian archives.

153
Ibid., p. 62.
154
Ibid., watermark nos. 209 (Busk), 366 (Ostrog), 628 (Radomyszl).
155
Tatiana W. Dianova: Filigrani XVII wieka po staropieczatnym knigam Ukrainy i Litwy [Seventeenth-century
watermarks according to old prints of Ukraine and of Lithuania]. Moskwa 1993, pp. 6-7.
156
Orest Matsiuk: Filigrani archiwnych dokumentiw Ukrajny, XVIII-XX st. [Watermarks in archival documents
of Ukraine, 18th – 20th c.]. Kyjiv 1992.

52
 Progress in hand papermaking in territories of today’s Ukraine may be
perceived around 1800.157 Probably the largest papermill was built in the Brody
estate, owned by the Potocki family. Making paper by hand was started there in
1830, manufacturing about 6400 reams of writing paper per year, watermarked
with the coat of arms of the Potocki family (the Pilawa arms) and with the
counter watermark BRODY. The last (known to Matsiuk) watermark of this mill
is dated 1842.158 To rebuilding and industrialising the Brody estate, the Polish
aristocratic family had engaged (within the years 1826-31) Józef Bem, who later
on, during ‘Springtime of the Nations’ in Hungary, showed his talents as a
soldier and commander (from December 1848 to 9 August 1849).159

A few papermills described by Bogdán, in his history of papermaking in the

Kingdom of Hungary, are situated now in south-western Ukraine. Bogdán
mentioned activities of a papermill in Munkács in the second half of the
seventeenth century, producing writing paper watermarked with the arms of this
town.160 Before 1780, paper manufacture was started in Ravaszmező and it was
continued (even after 1840) to produce mainly writing paper. Within the years
1780-1825 this papermill was owned by the Teleki family of the Hungarian
aristocracy, and their coat of arms was a motif of watermarks applied in this
mill. In the nineteenth century the inscription DOLHA was also used. 161 In a
papermill at Huszt writing paper was manufactured before and after 1793.162 In
the village of Alsóhrabonica a papermill was established in 1793 by the
Schönborn family, manufacturing mainly writing and printing papers. There
were such motifs of watermark as the Schönborn arms, as well as the
inscriptions D.MUNKÁCS or A.HRABONICZA W N.163
157
Ibid.: Istorija Ukrajnskogo Paperu [The history of Ukrainian paper]. Kyjiv 1994, pp. 153-158.
158
Ibid., (cf. note 147), pp. 53f, watermark nos. 378-390.
159
Bolesław Orłowski: Bem Józef Zachariasz (1794-1850). In: Słownik Biograficzny Techników Polskich [The
Dictionary of Polish Technicians]. Vol. 13. Warszawa 2002, pp. 18f.
160
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 194.
161
Ibid., pp. 210ff.
162
Ibid., p. 180.
163
Ibid., p. 158.

53
 Having repeated the remarks published by Bogdán, Matsiuk presented
tracings of the watermarks found during his own investigations. In the opinion
of Matsiuk, a papermill in Mukačewe (formerly Munkács) produced a
considerable quantity of paper in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. He
published one watermark of this mill.164 Regarding a papermill in Lysyčewe
(formerly Ravaszmező), Matsiuk presented two watermarks of this mill.165. Also
two watermarks traced from papers manufactured at Nižnja Grabiwnycja
(formerly Alsóhrabonica) can be found in his 1974 publication. 166 Three
additional watermarks, selected from the collection published by Matsiuk, are
reproduced in Fig.25.167

Fig.25: Watermarks (reduced) of the following mills, from the left: a) Brody, with the coat
of arms of the Potocki family (1830); b) Mukačewe (formerly Munkács), with the coat of
arms of the town (1802); c) Lysyčewe (formerly Ravaszmező), with the coat of arms of the
Teleki family (1812) - all watermarks found by Matsiuk (cf. note 147). Each watermark is
reproduced here without its counter watermark.

In Poland, the disastrous wars in the middle of the seventeenth century,

especially the so called ‘Swedish deluge’ (1655-60), resulted in irreparable
losses also to papermaking, so that it never again achieved that importance in
164
Matsiuk, (cf. note 147), p. 54, watermark no. 462 (1802) with the counter watermark MUNKACS.
165
Ibid., p. 48, watermark nos. 654 (1812) with the counter watermark DLOHA [probably an err – JD], 655
(1841) with the initials GT (beneath the crown) and the inscription DOLHA.
166
Ibid., p. 57, watermark nos. 463 (1822) and 478 (1821), both with the inscription DMUNKACS.
167
Ibid., watermark nos. 378 (1830), 462 (1802), and 654 (1812).

54
Central and Eastern Europe which it had gained in the sixteenth century and the
first half of the seventeenth century. After the wars, Poland became an importer
of paper because the larger part of the domestic papermills had been destroyed
and there was a lack of rags for those mills which had survived the wars.
Budka168 documented the latter fact in his analyses of the records describing
activities of the so-called ‘Great Balance’ in Kraków, which survived from the
years 1638-85. The yearly average amount of rags for papermaking, as seen
from the reports within the years 1638-53, i.e. before the Swedish invasion, was
about 770 hundredweight. However, according to the data from 1663-85, i.e.
after the invasion, the yearly average amount of rags for papermaking sold in
Kraków was reduced to only 168 hundredweight, i.e. to about one fifth (22% to
be precise) of those supplied before the ‘Swedish Deluge’. According to the
calculations done by Budka, about 3850 to 5390 reams of paper (depending on
the paper format) could be manufactured from the rags for papermaking sold
yearly in Kraków before the Swedish invasion; however, only about 840 to 1180
reams, could be produced after that invasion. Moreover, an acute shortage of the
rags of higher quality, which enable both a high quality of paper and a higher
output of the paper manufacture, should be taken into account, as this might
have been experienced after any exhausting war. Considering the very strong
competition in the international paper market, it was impossible to rebuild the
former position of Polish papermills, which were not even able to satisfy the
domestic demand for paper. This situation was quickly recognised by foreign
paper suppliers, and Poland became dependent on paper imports from Silesia,
Bohemia, Upper Hungary (Slovakia), the German States, as well as on
French/Dutch imports; the domestic paper manufacture was rather limited to
lower grades of writing paper, packaging paper, and ‘waterleaf’ paper; the latter
applied to cheaper prints.

168
Włodzimierz Budka: Z dziejów papiernictwa krakowskiego w XVII wieku. Prace z dziejów Polski feudalnej
ofiarowane Romanowi Grodeckiemu [From the history of Kraków papermaking in the 17th c. Works on the
history of feudal Poland presented to Roman Grodecki]. Warszawa 1960, pp. 483-488.

55
 Traditions of making high quality papers by hand were continued in Poland
in the second half of the eighteenth century, starting from the Jeziorna mill (near
Warszawa), established by Baron Josef Kurtz (or von Kurz) in 1774. Stanislaw
August Poniatowski, the last King of Poland, supported this initiative by the last
great actor and author of German improvised comedy. This Royal Papermill
initially applied the coat of arms of the King, also the Kurtz arms, as motifs of
its watermark. Later on, the mill was enlarged and the manufacture of high-
quality hand-made papers (also stamped papers) was continued after machine
papermaking was introduced (1838) to the Jeziorna mill, which since the 1890s
became known as Mirków; and any other names were not in use in the history of
this papermill. The traditional process of making paper by hand, from long-
fibred pulps and with gelatine sizing, was stopped there very recently, in the
early 1990s.169 Since 1998, the oldest part of this mill is in the possession of the
KONSTANS papermill (now in the town of Konstancin-Jeziorna), together with
the Museum of Papermaking in which the moulding plant is still in use.170

Before the end of the eighteenth century, three Partitions of the Polish-
Lithuanian State were carried out in 1772, 1793, and 1795. Austria established
the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria on the territories annexed in 1772,
referring to short possession (in the thirteenth century) of the strongholds in
Halicz and Vladimir by Hungarians Kings, who had used after that the title rex
Galiciae et Lodomeriae. Some paper historians of those countries which
annexed territories of the Commonwealth introduced the paper history of the
annexed territories (also the history before the annexation) into the stream of the
paper history of their own countries.171 It does not mean, however, that these
169
Ibid.: Kto i kiedy założył papiernię w Jeziornie? [Who and when has founded the papermill at Jeziorna?]. In:
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki 25 (1980), pp. 537-543. Dąbrowski/Siniarska-Czaplicka, (cf. note 13), pp.
361f.
170
KONSTANS, http://konstans-papier.com.pl/muzeum [in Polish & English]
171
Georg Eineder: The ancient paper-mills of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and their watermarks.
Hilversum 1960, pp. 151-156. Günther Bayerl: Die Papiermühle. Vorindustrielle Papiermacherei auf dem Gebiet
des alten Deutschen Reiches–Technologie, Arbeitsverhältnisse, Umwelt. Teil I. Frankfurt am Main 1987
(Europäische Hochschulschriften, Bd. 260,1), Abb. 153, Abb. 155.

56
presentations are a reliable source of information. In the nineteenth century,
paper manufacture developed well mainly in Russian part of Poland, and
watermarks of Polish mills are frequent in the watermark album published by
Klepikov.172 On the small territory of the Congress Kingdom of Poland,
established during the Congress of Vienna (1814-15) and subordinate to Russia,
34 papermills manufactured yearly about 67 thousand reams of paper, according
to the official (but not fully completed) register of 1823, with two larger mills in
Jeziorna and at Solec, each of them manufactured yearly about 8 thousand reams
of hand-made paper.173

At the end of this discussion of ancient hand papermaking in the northern part of
Central and Eastern Europe, there is a need to present some remarks about this
craft in western parts of today’s Poland, within the frontiers established in 1945
according to the will of the Three Powers who, while reducing Polish territory,
moved Polish frontiers westward. This part of German papermaking craft was
also of significance for Central and Eastern Europe, as may be perceived in the
watermark albums by Tromonin, Likhachev, Laucevičius, and Mareş; as well as
for Scandinavia, as demonstrated in the album by Lindberg. And therefore
examples of the longer-active papermills in these regions, which became part of
modern Poland, should be presented here in short, as part of the German
heritage. Earlier German publications devoted to such topics are not readily
accessible, and currently published German elaborations devoted to the paper
history of the western parts of modern Poland are rather rare.
In Western Pomerania at least two papermills should be mentioned: the
municipal papermill of Stolp and the Hohenkrug mill near Stettin. Regarding the
first one, von Hössle wrote: „Im Jahre 1592 wurde von der Stadt Stolp in Raths-
Damnitz an der Schottow eine alte Kornmühle zu einer Papiermühle umgebaut
172
Sokrat A. Klepikov: Filigrani na bumage russkogo proizwodstwa XVIII – nachala XX weka [Watermarks in
paper of the Russian manufacture from the 18th c. to the beginning of the 20th c.]. Moskwa 1978.
173
Włodzimierz Budka: Wykaz fabryk papieru w Królestwie Polskim z r. 1823 [The register of papermills in the
Congress Kingdom of Poland of 1823]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy 12 (1956), pp. 248ff.

57
und an Papiermacher verpachtet.“174 This means that the municipal papermill of
Stolp (now Słupsk) was located in Raths-Damnitz (now Dębnica Kaszubska) on
the Schottow (now Skotawa) River. Andreas Pirast is the first known
papermaker (1620) in this mill, which was later run by his son, also Andreas.
Thereafter von Hössle mentioned:
Später scheint die Stadt an der Papiermühle kein Interesse mehr gehabt zu haben und
verkaufte das Werk im Jahre 1756 an den Papiermacher J.G. Adam; zum Privatbesitz
geworden, führte sie nun die Bezeichnung Rathsdamnitzer Papiermühle; sie war mit
Hadernschneider, Stampfwerken, zwei Bütten und einem Schlaghammer ausgerüstet.175
The watermark reproduced below recalls the early papers of this papermill
which were watermarked with the Griffon of Pomerania (Fig.26).176 In
watermarks of this mill the surname ‘Pirast’ is sometimes presented as ‘Birast’.

Fig.26: Watermark and counter watermark (both reduced) of the Stolp (now Słupsk)
municipal papermill, situated in Raths-Damnitz (now Dębnica Kaszubska), found by Pabich
(cf. note 176) in a manuscript of 1644.

Von Hössle recalled the ancient privilege, on establishing the first papermill in
Western Pomerania (Vorpommern) in the vicinity of the town of Stettin (now
Szczecin), dated 2 February 1528, characterising its text as plattdütsche. The
beginning of the privilege is as follows:
Wy Jurge und Barnym, gebruder van gades gnaden hertogen tho Stettyn Pameren, der
Cossuben und Wenden, fursten tho Rugen und graven tho Gutzkow, bekennen vor

174
Friedrich von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der deutschen Küstenländer. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 49 (1922),
p. 1689.
175
Ibid.
176
Franciszek Pabich: Z dziejów papierni słupskiej [From the history of the Słupsk papermill]. In: Przegląd
Papierniczy 30 (`1974), pp. 197ff, watermark no. 4.

58
 uns, unse erven und nakamende herschop, dath wy myt dem ersamen unsen leven
getruven Jost Klopffer uns van wegen einer papirmolen, de he in unser stath thom
Damme to buwende vorgenamen, up navolgende gestalth vordragen und vorgelyket
hebben, also dat wy genanthen Jost Klopffer de stede tho buwinge sulker molen in
genanther unser stath Dham up dem strom der Plone under den andern molen […].177
The papermill built by Jost Klopfer was in the vicinity of the bridge over the
Plöne River, as von Hössle wrote:
Die uralte, von Stettin nach Stargard führende Straße überquert südöstlich von
Altdamm die vom Plöne- und Madüsee herabfließende Plöne. Wegen der am
Kreuzungspunkt hohen Ufer erhielt die Brücke den Namen „Hohe Brücke“ und der am
rechten Ufer stehende Krug hieß „Zum hohen Krug“; [….] stand diese erste Dammer
Papiermühle „eine Buchsenschuss unterhalb der Hohen oder Buchholtzischen
Brücke.178

A second papermill was built there by Hans Bayer according to the

privilege given by Herzog Johann Friedrich in 1579. Von Hössle reproduced the
watermark of this mill (Fig.27).179 Once again, the Griffon of Pomerania is the
motif of the watermark, and the encircling legend is explained by von Hössle as
referring to Philipp Julius, Herzog zu Stettin Pommern.180 Paper from the
Hohenkrug mill was exported to Scandinavia.181

Fig.27: Watermark (reduced) of the Hohenkrug papermill dated 1610, according to von
Hössle (cf. note 177).

177
Friedrich von Hössle: Alte Papiermühle der deutschen Küstenländer. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 42 (1922),
pp. 1461-1467, here p. 1462.
178
Ibid., p. 1461.
179
Ibid., p. 1463, Abb. 39.
180
Ibid.
181
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark nos. from 474 to 478 (dated from 1587 to 1616), p. A183.

59
After the Thirty Years’ War, the Truce of Luneville (1648) handed the region of
‘Vorpommern mit Stettin’ to Sweden. Battle broke out again in 1659, and owing
to the activities of the German troops “waren die beiden ersten Papiermühlen zu
Damm von der Bildfläche verschwunden”.182 The new papermill was built
„oberhalb der Hohen Brücke“ in 1691: „Der bei dem Neubau mitwirkende
Papiermacher Elias Heschke aus Touchel in Polen wurde erster Pächter der
Kurfürstlich Colbatzschen Papiermühle.“183 The new papermill was „etwa einen
Pistolenschuss über der hohen Brücke ausgebaut“.

After the death of Heschke, the widow married the “Papiergeselle Münch aus
Schlesien”.184 The papermill had been run for about 150 years by the Münch
family. In 1740 Hollander beaters were installed in the mill. It was burnt down
in 1756; nonetheless, the mill was successfully rebuilt in 1763 by the widow
Münch. The ream cover, a woodcut printed in black, used in the Hohenkrug
mill, run by the widow Münch and her son Friedrich Wilhelm Münch, is
reproduced (Fig.28).185

182
Von Hössle, (cf. note 177), p. 1463.
183
Ibid., p. 1464.
184
Ibid.
185
Wolfgang Schlieder: Riesaufdrucke. Volkstümliche Grafik im alten Papiermachergewerbe. Leipzig 1988, pp.
136f.

60
Fig.28: The ream cover for paper of the Hohenkrug mill, after Schlieder (cf. note 185).
„Dieser Riesaufdruck stellt insofern eine Ausnahme dar, als er zur Bezeichnung von
Druckpapier diente (Relation = Bericht, Zeitung). Er bildet den mit dem Königsmonogramm
belegten preußischen Adler ab und gibt, neben der Papiersorte und dem abgekürzten Namen
des Papiermühlenpächters, auch das Gewicht des Rieses (11 Pfund) an.“

In his article, von Hössle discussed four papermills built in almost the same
location in the years 1528, 1579, 1691, and 1763, recalling their different names;
“zu Damm”, “Kurfürstlich Colbatzschen Papiermühle”, and “Hohenkrug”.
However, the last name is most popular in denoting the entire story of
papermaking in the place near the “Hohe Brücke” on the Plöne River, which
later was also called “Hohenkrug” (today Struga, within the town boundaries of
Szczecin). In 1845 a paper-making machine was introduced there, and making
paper by hand was stopped.
Quite recently the Hohenkrug papermill was recalled as a part (since 1925)
of the former ‘Feldmühle’ Holding Company, the owner (among others) of the
large pulp & paper mill in the nearby Odermünde.186 Production facilities of both
these mills were looted by the Red Army in 1945; however, the buildings of the
186
Hans-Peter Jaraczewski: Lecture on the former „Feldmühle” until 1945. In: IPH Congress Book, Vol. 15
(2004), pp. 53ff.

61
papermill in Skolwin (formerly Odermünde) were later repaired and equipped
with production facilities.187
Johann Samuel Hering, Professor of Law, should be remembered here, as
the author of two printed pamphlets (Alte-Stettin 1736) in which watermarks
were reproduced for the first time in print in Central and Eastern Europe.
Recently this fact was thoroughly discussed by Schmidt.188

Going to the southeast, the papermill was established (1733) at Berlinchen (now
Barlinek). In the opinion of von Hössle:
Das Erzeugnis dieser Papiermühle muß gut gewesen sein; denn die Ortsgeschichte
berichtet, dass viel Papier über Stettin nach Schweden geliefert worden ist, war doch
der Wasserweg nach dorten äußerst bequem.189

In 1842 a paper-making machine was installed there; however, at the end of the
1860s the paper factory was transformed into the corn mill.

Further south from the Hohenkrug mill, in the former Neumark, another ancient
papermill was located at the town of Neudamm (now Dębno): “Der
Papiermacher Hans Bauerfeindt wurde 1570 für zehn Jahre auf die ‚neuerbaute
Papiermühle zum Tham’ als Verwalter eingesetzt.“190 In early watermarks of the
mill the name THAM is used (Fig.29), later NEUDAM, and finally
NEUDAMM.

Fig.29: Early watermark (reduced) of the papermill in Neudamm (now Dębno), found by
Briquet (his no. 1238) in a manuscript dated 1580, after von Hössle (cf. note 190).

187
Maciej Szymczyk: Polski przemysł papierniczy: 1945-1989 [Polish paper industry: 1945-1989]. Duszniki
Zdrój 2007, pp.75-80.
188
Schmidt, (cf. note 46), pp. 18f.
189
Friedrich von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Brandenburg. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, Heft 17 (1933),
p. 260.
190
Ibid. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 16 (1933), pp. 248-251, here p. 248f., Abb. 25.

62
At that time, it was a large mill (Fig. 30) in which about 3000 reams of paper
were yearly manufactured, consuming rags and additionally “¼ Zentner Alaun
und 8 Tonnen Kalk” in this production.

Fig.30: A view of the town of Neudamm (now Dębno) in the 1620s (by Matthäus Merian)
with the large papermill equipped with two vats (D=Die Pappier Mühle). The scan was kindly
offered by Prof. Jan Harasimowicz of the University of Wrocław.

Making paper by hand was stopped there in 1850, and the buildings were
adapted to the printing house. In the Neudamm mill: „Um 1670 wird ein
Papiermacher Joachim Schottler aus Polen als Pächter erwähnt.“191 Later, five
generations of his descendants worked efficiently in German papermaking.192

To the southeast from Neudamm, in Grünberg (now Zielona Góra) a papermill

was founded probably in the middle of the sixteenth century. However, the
earliest known watermark of this municipal papermill, situated in the nearby
village of Krampe (now Krępa), is dated 1581.193 Early watermarks of this
papermill depicted the coat of arms of the town of Grünberg. In 1727 this
municipal papermill was sold to Jeremias Scholtz, its last tenant. Making paper
by hand was continued there until introducing (1845) a paper-making
machine.194 Hand-made paper from this mill was exported to Scandinavia.195

191
Ibid.
192
Ibid., In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 48 (1933), p. 631.
193
Hugo Schmidt: Geschichte der Stadt Grünberg, Schles. Grünberg 1922, pp. 253f.
194
Ibid., pp. 263ff.
195
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark no. 243, p. A167.

63
 Further south from Grünberg, a papermill was active in Sagan (now
Żagań). “Den etwa 2 Kilometer westlich von der Stadt in dem großen Stadtforst
liegende Weiler Schönthal fand Herzog Wenzel Eusebius von Lobkowitz 1669
für sehr geeignet, eine Papiermühle an der Tschirne zu errichten.“196 However,
this papermill was established earlier, von Hössle published two watermarks of
this mill dated 1620 and 1637.197 The coat of arms of this town was a frequent
motif of watermarks applied in this mill. Hand-made paper was manufactured
there until introducing a paper-making machine in 1850.198

Much earlier a papermill was founded near Liegnitz (now Legnica) in

Altbeckern (now Stare Piekary). Ptaśnik found in Kraków the document (dated 3
October 1511) in which “Stefanus papirmacher de Legnycz” was mentioned. 199
This means that the “Liegnitzer Papiermühle” was established before 1511.
However, the earliest information about this mill known to von Hössle is the
privilege given (19 November 1535) by Herzog Friedrich II to “Papiermacher
Fetscher aus Ravensburg”, before that time employed at Trautenau (Trutnov) in
Bohemia.200 Early watermarks of the Liegnitz mill depict the town arms: the
Eagle of Silesia and two keys in saltire.201 The papermill was active until its
converting (1854) into an oil mill.202
Undoubtedly, the earliest papermaking in Lower Silesia was started in a
papermill built in Breslau (now Wrocław, also known as Vratislav). The exact
date of its foundation remains unknown, and a watermark of this mill found by
Rauter in a manuscript dated 1477 seemed to be the earliest one.203 The

196
Friedrich von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Schlesien. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 45 (1935), pp.
369f.
197
Ibid., Abb. 47 (1620), Abb. 48 (1637).
198
Ibid.
199
Ptaśnik, (cf. note 95), document, no. 139.
200
Von Hössle, (cf. note 196), p. 357
201
Ibid.
202
Ibid., p. 358.
203
Fr. von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Schlesien. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 2 (1935), pp. 10f.,
Abb. 2.

64
papermill was established earlier; as a watermark dated 1475 which is
characteristic of that mill shows (Fig.31).204

Fig.31: Probably the earliest known watermark (reduced) of the papermill at Breslau (now
Wrocław, also known as Vratislav) found by Tromonin in a manuscript dated 1475.

The watermark depicts a bull’s head with elongated horns, and between the
horns a serpent entwined shaft, terminating in a monogram W with a crown
above, i.e. part of the Wrocław arms in which the monogram W is seen, from
first letter of the town’s name. The monogram W alone with a crown above was
also applied later as a motif of the watermark in this mill, as well as the coat of
arms of the town or its other parts. Regarding papermakers, at the end of the
1950s a document was found in the Wrocław archive, dated 6 February 1490,
with an obligation to Hans Haunolt, a papermaker in this mill, to pay a rent to
the town.205 The next document mentioning this mill is dated 1497, and from
1507 Stephan Stempfer (of Basel) is known as ‘Breslauer Papiermüller’. The
mill was active, with some interruptions, until the fire in 1843.206
Another medieval papermill was established in Schweidnitz (now
Świdnica, also known as Svídnice). Von Hössle wrote: „Die Gründungszeit ist
nicht genau bekannt, doch liegt sie vor 1490!“207 However, at the end of his

204
Simmons (ed.), (cf. note 43), watermark no. 721, p. 28.
205
Kazimiera Maleczyńska: Dzieje starego papiernictwa śląskiego [The history of the old Silesian paper
making]. Wrocław 1974, p. 22.
206
Von Hössle, (cf. note 203), pp. 11f.
207
Fr. von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Schlesien. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 31 (1935), p. 262.

65
article he stated: „Und die letzte Erinnerung an die 300jährige Papiermühle wird
wohl der 130 mm breite Ortsname in lateinischer Schrift mit der großen
Jahreszahl 1798 bilden“.208 The latter statement suggests 1498 as the year the
mill was established. This date seems to be reasonable, as it was approved in
analyses of the watermarks visible in the paper of the Silesian manuscript
entitled Frumentorum Parochialis (Schweidnizensis) ab A0 1471 ad A0 1507,
written at Schweidnitz in Latin and German between 1471-1507. The greater
part of the manuscript is written on Italian paper, mainly from the Brescia
region, with characteristic watermarks depicting a bull’s head with some
additions. In this manuscript the first local paper, manufactured in the
Schweidnitz mill, was found as dated on 1499.209 Its watermark, depicting the
boar, an element of the coat of arms of this town, is shown here in Fig.32. It is
rather hard to assume that the costly paper of Italy was still in use after local
manufacture of paper by hand was started in this town, and therefore 1498 is a
reasonable date of establishing this papermill, keeping in mind the results gained
in investigations into paper stock of the Silesian manuscript Frumentorum
Parochialis, written in Schweidnitz, in which the first local watermark is dated
1499.

Fig.32: The earliest (dated 1499) watermark (reduced) of the medieval papermill at
Świdnica (formerly Schweidnitz, also known as Svídnice) found by Ważyńska and
Dąbrowski (cf. note 209) in a manuscript written in this town within the years 1471-1507.

The papermill was active in Schweidnitz until 1757, with some interruptions,
and it was later built in the vicinity of this town, where paper was made by hand

208
Fr. von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Schlesien. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 32 (1935), pp. 269ff.
209
Joanna Ważyńska, Józef Dąbrowski: Średniowieczny śląski rękopis kościelny cennym źródłem filigranów
[The medieval Silesian church manuscript as the valuable source of watermarks]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy, 54
(1998), pp. 403-406, 423-424; watermark no. 27.

66
until machine papermaking was introduced. According to the description of
grades and prices from 1771, about 2540 reams of paper were manufactured in
this mill.210 Paper from the Schweidnitz mill was exported to Scandinavia.211
In the above-mentioned Silesian manuscript Frumentorum Parochialis,
paper made in Neisse (now Nysa, also known as Nisa) was also present, with a
characteristic watermark depicting ‘fleur-de-lis’ without shield, and dated 1503
(see Fig.33).212 The town of Neisse was owned by the Breslau Chapter, whose
emblem became the coat of arms of Neisse: three fleurs-de-lis (two above one)
in the shield.

Fig.33: The earliest (dated 1503) known watermark (reduced) of the papermill in Nysa
(formerly Neisse, also known as Nisa) found by Ważyńska and Dąbrowski (cf. note 209) in a
manuscript written in Schweidnitz within the years 1471-1507.

The municipal papermill in Nysa was probably built before 1500, and paper was
manufactured in this mill until the Thirty Years’ War; however, after the war
there is a lack of information about its further activities. Making paper in this
town is again mentioned in 1737 and in 1764.213

In Ohlau (now Oława) a papermill was established before 1576. After that year
the mill was shortly owned by Herzog Georg von Schlesien. Its watermarks
depict the shield charged with a cock. The cock (‘Ohlauer Hahn’) represented
the arms of this town. The mill was rebuilt after the fire in 1634. According to

210
Von Hössle, (cf. note 208), p. 271.
211
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark no. 655 (1571), p. A 194.
212
Ważyńska/Dąbrowski, (cf. note 209), watermark no. 34.
213
Maleczyńska, (cf. note 205), p. 150.

67
the description of grades and prices (1771), 2350 reams of paper were yearly
manufactured in this mill.214
In the opinion of von Hössle, perhaps two papermills were active in the town
of Brieg (now Brzeg). Von Hössle remembered the watermark depicting the
arms of the principality of Brieg (Fürstentum Brieg), known to Briquet (from
1549 to 1599).215 This kind of watermark was published also by Labarre in
eleven variants dated from 1601 to 1659.216 Von Hössle reproduced two other
watermarks depicting the arms of the town of Brieg, the shield with three-
shanked anchor.217 Lindberg found this kind of watermark in Finnish archives.218

The exact date of founding a papermill in Ratibor (now Racibórz) remains

unknown, and the watermark of this mill found by Briquet in a manuscript dated
1497 (his no. 952) seemed to be the earliest one. In the opinion of Maleczyńska,
there is a lack of information about activities of this papermill in the seventeenth
century; however, the mill is again mentioned in the second half of the
eighteenth century. Most likely, it was finally stopped before 1846.219

A relic of great value is the old Silesian paper mill which structure from 1605
has fortunately survived at Duszniki (formerly Reinerz, also known as Dušniky).
Since 1968, the mill has housed the Museum of Papermaking (see Fig.34) in
which also paper is made by hand.220

214
Friedrich von Hössle: Alte Papiermühlen der Provinz Schlesien. In: Der Papier-Fabrikant, H. 5 (1935), pp.
38f.
215
Ibid., Abb. 12.
216
Emile J. Labarre (ed.): The Nostitz Papers. Hilversum 1956, watermark nos. 386-396, pp. 73f.
217
Von Hössle, (cf. note 214), p. 39, Abb. 13 (1566-1581), Abb. 14 (1572).
218
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermark no. 68 (1569), p. A 155.
219
Maleczyńska, (cf. note 205), p. 151.
220
Muzeum Papiernictwa w Dusznikach Zdroju, http://www.muzpap.pl [in Polish, German, English, and Czech].

68
Fig.34: The Museum of Papermaking in the old Silesian paper mill at Duszniki (formerly
Reinerz, also known as Dušniky), photograph taken by the author in 2006.

The first unquestionable information about this papermill is dated: 24 August

1562; when Nicolaus Kretschmer of Saxony bought this mill from another
owner. Gregor Kretschmer erected the mill again in 1605 after the great flood in
1601, which had destroyed the former buildings. In 1709 an additional mill was
built by papermakers in Reinerz, although only to stock preparation for
papermaking, and without any preparation for moulding paper. In 1771 the
manufacture of 289 bales, i.e. 2890 reams of paper, was reported. The Reinerz
papermill was noted for the fineness and permanence of its paper. In 1905 the
cylinder paper machine was installed there. Saint Peter, the patron of the town of
Reinerz who is depicted with the large key in the coat of arms of this town, was
frequently presented in watermarks of the hand-made papers manufactured in
the Reinerz mill, (see Fig.35).221

221
Gottfried Schweitzer: 450 Jahre Papiermacherei in Reinerz/Duszniki. IPH Congress Book, Vol. 15 (2004), pp.
9-17.

69
Fig.35: Watermark (reduced) of the papermill in Reinerz (now Duszniki, also known as
Dušniky) dated 1739, after Schweizer (cf. note 221).

It should be remembered that Emperor Rudolf II granted a coat of arms to

Gregor Kretschmer and his brother Georg, in the privilege (Wappenbrief) issued
in 1607 at Praha. However, this was not the granting of a noble title.222
Nevertheless, according to Czech sources, Emperor Rudolf II granted the
nobility to Gregor and Georg Kretschmers and their descendants on 9 August
1612 in Praha.223

Papermaking in Lower Silesia started when Lower Silesia was subordinate to

the Kingdom of Bohemia, ruled by the Kings of the Jagiellon House (from 1471
to 1526). From 1526 to 1741, the Habsburgs were rulers of the Kingdom of
Bohemia, of which Lower Silesia was a part. The wars in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries were disastrous for that region, especially the Thirty Years’
War, which was afflicting Silesia in 1626. However, papermaking in Silesia
recovered in the second half of the eighteenth century under Prussian
government (from 1741), and in 1800 at least 56 papermills were active in
Prussian Silesia.224

222
Mieczysława Chmielewska: Arms document of the Duszniki papermakers, brothers Gregor and Georg
Kretschmer, dated 13th August 1607. IPH Congress Book, Vol. 15 (2004), pp. 87-92.
223
A. Rybička: O rodině Krčmářů z Schenkenberku a K. z Schenkendorfu [About the Kretschmer families of
Schenkenberk and of Schenkendorf]. Památky archeologické. Přispěvky genealogické, VIII (1868-1869), pp.
617f.
224
Maleczyńska (cf. note 205), pp. 114-117.

70
Making paper by hand in the southern part of Central and Eastern
Europe
Traditionally, the beginning of papermaking in the Czech Republic is associated
with the written message present in the Royal Register of Vladislav II the
Jagiellon, King of Bohemia, as an extract of the draft document dated 24 May
1499 in Buda, in which the King granted a permission for papermaking to the
Abbot of Cistercian monastery in Zbraslav (Königsaal), now within the
boundaries of Praha. In the opinion of the King, miller Jan of that monastery
“should not sell or export the old clothes for paper-making but buy them and
manufacture paper from them for the common use in Czech lands”.225 However,
there is a lack of any further confirmation of so early papermaking in Zbraslav.
Nevertheless, the quick development of papermaking in the historical Czech
Lands is observed almost from the very beginning of the sixteenth century, and
this fact is documented in publications by Zuman226, as well as by Eineder, the
latter author used German names.227 The data selected from these publications
are quoted below. At present, the Czech Republic is divided into 13 regions;
however, the traditional names are still used in cultural history and other specific
texts, including Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, altogether regarded as the
historical Czech Lands.
In the opinion of Zuman, among documented sixteenth-century papermills
in Bohemia, the earliest one was established in Trutnov (Trautenau), in the
northern part of Bohemia, where making paper by hand was started before 1505,
as in this year activities of the Trutnov papermill were the first time mentioned
in the historical source. Bartel Fetscher of Ravensburg is recorded in 1533 as a
papermaker in the Trutnov mill. His follower, Hans Fetscher, rebuilt (1558) the

225
500 let výroby papíru v českých zemích [500 years of the manufacture of paper in the Czech Lands]. Svaz
Průmyslu Papíru a Celulózy. Praha 1999, p. 4.
226
František Zuman: PAPÍR, historie řemesla a výrobní techniky [PAPER, a history of the craft and its
productive technique – edited with additional material by Miroslav Vykydal]. Nové Město nad Metují 1983, pp.
42-71.
227
Eineder, (cf. note 171).

71
mill destroyed by fire in 1557. The flood seriously damaged the mill in 1570,
and it became inactive until 1580. Benedikt Frey, a new owner of the mill,
restarted papermaking there, and after that, in 1581, he leased the mill to
Andreas Schmidt. The mill was active almost to the middle of the nineteenth
century. In Fig.36, an example of the watermark with the Trutnov arms is
shown, according to Labarre.228

Fig.36: Watermark (reduced) of the papermill in Trautenau (now Trutnov) dated 1641, after
Labarre (cf. note 216).

The second paper mill in Bohemia was established before 1516 in Frýdlandt
(Friedland), located north-west of the town of Trutnov, where hand papermaking
was continued until the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1527, according
to the sources, Gallus Treu is the owner of the Frýdlandt mill. Most likely, this
papermaker is identical with Gallo Trew mentioned in Kraków, in the Latin
document dated 23 August 1538, together with ten Kraków papermakers,
masters and companions.229 According to Zuman, before Gallus Treu a certain
Claudio is mentioned in 1517 in the sources as the papermaker in Praha who
supplied paper to Lorenz Kune, a maker of playing cards in Leipzig, Germany.
However, in the opinion of Zuman, Claudio was probably involved in supplying
paper and other goods from Italy (like some other Italians in Praha) not in the
craft of papermaking.230 Undoubtedly, the capital city of Praha was an important
centre of hand papermaking in Bohemia; however, the exact date of establishing
a paper mill in the city (in the old town area, in Czech ‘Staré Město’) remains
228
Labarre (cf. note 216), p. 63, watermark no. 304.
229
Ptaśnik, (cf. note 95), document no. 411, pp. 160f.
230
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 55.

72
unknown. The earliest known watermark of the mill active in Praha - Staré
Město is dated 1524, and the mill is mentioned in the local archive in 1534, with
Hans Frey from Reutlingen as an owner of this mill. Dominik, a papermaker in
this mill, is earlier mentioned among local burghers, in 1530.231 Two watermarks
of this mill, from the time of Hans Frey (who died about 1555), are shown in
Fig.37, after Eineder.232

Fig.37: Two watermarks (reduced) of the first papermill active in Prague (Praha - Staré
Město) dated 1542 (left) and 1543 (right), after Eineder (cf. note 171).

This first papermill in Praha was destroyed in 1648, and after rebuilding it was
active (with interruptions) until 1861.233 Also during the Swedish siege (1648),
two other papermills in this area were destroyed which, however, were not
rebuilt. Pavel Lutter, an apprentice in the first papermill in Praha - Staré Město
operated at that time by Fridrich Frey, established the second papermill in this
area, before 1597.234 The third papermill, a short-lived one, was established
before 1638 by Samuel Petschek on the large island (Štvanice) in the vicinity of
Praha - Staré Město.235 Some other papermills established before 1800 within the
boundaries of today’s Praha should be recalled. A papermill in Nové Město
(Prague-Neustadt), a suburb of Praha, was established in the first half of the
eighteenth century; however, the mill was burnt down in 1775.236 The first
papermill in Libeň (Liben) was built about 1530 by Petr Osovský, and the
watermark of this mill dated 1570 is known, depicting the arms of the Bryknar

231
Ibid.
232
Eineder, (cf. note 171), watermarks no. 405 and 408, p. XV.
233
Ibid., p. 127.
234
Zuman, (cf. note 226), pp. 57f.
235
Ibid., p. 72.
236
Ibid., p. 78.

73
family.237 The second paper mill in Libeň was established (about 1549) by Hans
Frey, known to us from the first papermill in Praha, and this second mill at
Liben was active almost until the mid-nineteenth century.238
It was once again Hans Frey who founded (1540) the papermill in the
Bohemian village of Staré Hory near the Moravian town of Jihlava; in German
accounts the papermill is denoted as Altenberg-Iglau (or Iglau-Altenberg). 239 An
example of its watermark depicting the arms of the town of Jihlava (Iglau) is
shown (Fig.38).240

Fig.38: Watermark (reduced) of the papermill at Staré Hory near Jihlava (Altenberg-Iglau)
dated 1642, after Labarre (cf. note 216).

Paper was made by hand in this mill until 1860. Emperor Rudolf II granted
(1591) the privilege to Benedikt Frey, the papermaker and owner of the
papermill in Staré Hory, for operating the printing shop at Jihlava to print school
handbooks in Czech, German, and Latin.241 This papermill was well known for
the fineness of its paper, and in 1842 the Royal and Imperial licence for the
entire country was granted to this mill.242 Its founder, Hans Frey, is generally
regarded as the inventor who introduced (1541) the water-powered hammer to
glazing paper, eliminating in this way the polishing of paper with stone;
according to such statement published by Eineder.243 Nonetheless, this invention
does not have any confirmation in archive-records of Bohemia and Moravia, as
237
Ibid., pp. 51f.
238
Eineder, (cf. note 171), p. 123.
239
Zuman, (cf. note 226), pp. 58ff.
240
Labarre, (cf. note 216), p. 53, watermark no. 234.
241
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 60.
242
Eineder, (cf. note 171), p. 138.
243
Ibid., p. 133.

74
well as in the productive technique applied in Bohemian and Moravian paper
mills. Earliest remarks written in inventories of those paper mills about the
water-powered glazing hammer are dated 1671 in Pardubice (Pardubitz) and
1714 in Frýdlandt (Friedland).244
Examples of other long-active papermills established in Bohemia in the
sixteenth century should be presented, according to Zuman.245 Starting from the
west, in Cheb (Eger), a papermill was founded in 1540, and at the end of the
sixteenth century, papermills were established in Jáchymov (Horní Žďar,
Joachimstal) and in Chomutov (Komotau). Near the latter place, two papermills
were founded in Jirkov (Görkau or Jörkau) in the second half of the sixteenth
century, and the first of them was still active in 1845. Further to the north-west,
in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig), a papermill was built in 1559, and ten years after
that date, papermills were established in the nearby town of Benešov nad
Ploučnicí (Bensen or Beneschau), and further to the north, in Dolní Poustevna,
the latter town was known in German as Nieder-Einsiedel or Einsiedel (Nieder).
In southern Bohemia, the first paper mill was started in Český Krumlov
(Krumau), shortly before 1572.

In Moravia, the first papermill was erected in Olomouc (Olmütz), about 1505,
and paper was made by hand there (with interruptions) almost to the end of the
eighteenth century (Fig.39).246

244
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 141.
245
Ibid., pp. 43, 46, 48, 49, 51, 53, 63.
246
Ibid., p. 66, Obr. 10 (897)

75
Fig.39: Watermark (reduced) of the Olomouc (Olmütz) papermill found by Briquet (his no.
897) in a manuscript dated 1577; after Zuman (cf. note 226).

Before 1517, a papermill was founded in Brno (Brünn) on the land owned by the
Augustinian monastery, and the mill was active until the siege of the town by
Swedish troops in 1645. Later on, the Brno mill was rebuilt, and making paper
by hand was continued until machine papermaking was started there.247 In the
second half of the sixteenth century, papermills were established in Litovel
(Littau), Šumperk (Schimberg or Mährisch Schönberg), Beranov, Bolíkov
(Wölking), Velké Losiny (Groß Ullersdorf), and Třebíč (Trebitsch).248

The earliest known watermark of the Velké Losiny (Groß Ullersdorf) papermill
depicts the coat of arms of the founder of this mill, i.e., Jan the Younger of
Žerotín (1545-1608), of the Moravian aristocracy, who transferred Velké Losiny
into an administrative centre of the Žerotín dominion, with the late Renaissance
castle completed in 1589. The watermark dated 1596, is shown here in Fig.40,
after Sedláček.249

Fig.40: The earliest known watermark (reduced) of the papermill at Velké Losiny/Groß
Ullersdorf, found in a manuscript dated 1596, according to Sedláček (cf. note 249).

Johann Amos Komenský, an eminent thinker and progressive pedagogue

internationally known as Comenius, should be remembered here. Born in
Moravia (1592), Comenius had to leave his country (1628) as a priest of the
247
Ibid., p. 65.
248
Ibid., pp. 65, 69f.
249
Richard Sedláček: Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Papiermanufaktur in Velké Losiny/Groß Ullersdorf –
vier Jahrhunderte ununterbrochene Produktionstradition (1596-2004). IPH Congress Book, Vol. 15 (2004), pp.
81-86. [Tracing of the watermark dated 1596 is shown in p. 86; however, the date of this watermark is
erroneously written as 1592 – JD]

76
Bohemian Brethren. Karel the Elder of Žerotín supported Comenius as long as
this was possible in Moravia.250 According to Voorn, Comenius spent some time
also in Velké Losiny, visiting the papermill and using its paper.251 Comenius
lived most of his life in foreign countries, in Poland, Sweden, Hungary, and
(after 1656) in Holland, in Amsterdam, where he died in 1670. The most popular
(and the best known) book by Comenius was Orbis sensualium pictus [The
visible world], composed during his stay in Hungary (Sárospatak, 1650-54) and
published first time in Germany (Nuremberg, 1658), in a bi-lingual (Latin and
German) version. The second edition appeared there in 1659, and it was
reprinted in 1660. [The latter was quite recently republished in a digitized
version, together with translations and comments in Czech and English
languages.252] The book had an enormous success and was repeatedly reprinted,
often with other languages; however, always with the Latin text. In the book,
short descriptions are given which are related to various aspects of daily life, and
most of these descriptions are illustrated, as the book was intended for the use in
schools to teach foreign languages to children. The book is of significance also
for European paper-history, as presenting one of earliest pictures depicting (in
rather highly simplified woodcut) a European papermaker at work. Schulte
presented remarks on this picture, discussing editions of the book published in
various countries.253 Siniarska-Czaplicka 254
recalled Silesian edition of Orbis
sensualium pictus (Bregae Silesiorum, 1667), in Latin, French, German, and
Polish (Fig.41).

250
František Hýbl: Karel the Elder of Zierotin and Comenius. In: Cour d’honneur 1 (1998), pp. 17f.
251
Henk Voorn: Czechoslovakia. In: Handmade papers of the world. A publication commemorating the 80th
anniversary of the foundation of Takeo Co., Ltd. Tokyo 1979, pp. 83f.
252
Ludovit Emanuel, Marcela Desortová: Digitization of Early Printed Books of J.A. Comenius ORBIS
SENSUALIUM PICTUS. Praha 1999.
253
Toni Schulte: Zur ältesten Darstellung eines Rührwerkes. In: Papiergeschichte 7 (1957), pp. 75-80.
254
Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka: Hasło „papier“ w XVII-wiecznej encyklopedii [The entry „paper” in the
seventeenth-century encyclopaedia]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy 32 (1976), pp. 271f.

77
Fig.41: Two pages from Jadwiga Siniarska-Czaplicka’s bibliophile edition of 1976.

Turning to the history of papermaking in the Czech Republic. In this part of

Silesia which belongs to the Czech Republic, the first papermill was built
shortly before 1507 in Opava (Troppau). In historical sources the mill is first
time mentioned in that year, in the privilege given on 5 March 1507 at Kraków
by Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland, as the Duke of Opava. The earliest
known watermark of this mill, depicting the Opava arms, was found in a
manuscript dated 1510.255 The Opava papermill was active until 1865, without
longer interruptions.256 From 1740, this part of Silesia was known as Austrian
Silesia. Papermakers of Bohemia were also frequently involved in the operating
of the mill in Dušniky (Reinerz, Duszniki), as this part of Silesia was
subordinate to the Kingdom of Bohemia until 1740.

255
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 70.
256
Vladimír Gerolt: Filigrány staré opavské papírny [Watermarks of the ancient papermill at Opava]. In: Papír a
celulóza, Vol. 13 (1958), nr 8, pp. 181ff.

78
In the sixteenth century, 22 paper mills were active in the historical Czech
Lands. Further development of papermaking was continued until the Thirty
Years’ War, which reduced the paper output. After the recovery, the destruction
caused by the wars within the years 1740-1748 and 1756-1763 had to be repair.
The technology and manufacturing experience were brought about into Czech
Lands by German masters, who successfully cooperated with local craftsmen in
these lands with plentiful streams with clean water and abundant in the raw
materials for papermaking. An important progress was associated with
introducing the Hollander beater for stock preparation, initiated in Bohemian
mills as early as in 1710 (Benešov nad Ploučnicí), and in Moravian mills as
early as in 1729 (Velké Losiny).257 So early applying the Hollander beater in
Czech papermaking gave the papermaking craft in Czech Lands a big advantage
over other craftsmen in the discussed region of Europe. The papermills operated
in the historical Czech Lands were significant producers of paper in Central and
Eastern Europe, especially in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well
as at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Almost 130 papermills were
operated in 1799 in the historical Czech Lands. Their production of paper
amounted to 114650 reams in Bohemia, 45860 reams in Moravia, and 13430
reams in Silesia. Altogether, almost 174 thousand (173940 to be precise) reams
of paper were made by hand in 1799 in the papermills active in Czech Lands.258
Paper from these mills was not only consumed locally but was also exported to
neighbouring lands, to Silesia and Poland; however, it was mainly sold within
the Austrian Empire, which territory was enlarged after the Partitions of the
Polish-Lithuanian State. In the album published by Matsiuk, watermarks of the
Bohemian mill at Svídnice (Swidnitz) are especially frequent, dated within the
years 1794-1826, with countermarks SWIDNITZ or SWITNITZ, and sometimes
with the initials IR or the name I RITSCHELL.259 The export of paper directed

257
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 121.
258
Ibid., p. 86.
259
Matsiuk, (cf. note 156), watermarks nos.: 12, 16, 17, 18, 57, 83, 84, 85, 86, 537, 544, 546, 582, 592, 593.

79
to the north-west is also recorded in Czech sources, mainly to the German
States, as well as to Holland (especially from the Jáchymov mill) where this
paper was thereafter sold with a profit as a Dutch product. 260 Quite recently,
Lindberg proved that paper from Bohemian mills was exported to Finland, at the
end of the sixteenth century and in the second half of the seventeenth century.
Examples of the Bohemian watermarks which Lindberg found in the paper
extant in Finnish archives 261 are shown (Fig.42).

Fig.42: Watermarks (reduced) of the Bohemian mills found by Lindberg (cf. note 3) in
Finnish archives; from the left: a) Benešov nad Ploučnicí (Bensen), dated 1589; b) Dolní
Poustevna (Nieder-Einsiedel), dated 1665; c) Ústí nad Labem (Aussig), dated 1667

A long tradition of making a high-quality paper by hand in Czech Lands is

maintained in the Moravian mill at Velké Losiny. There can be no doubt that the
Velké Losiny mill is the oldest handmade papermill in Europe with an unbroken
tradition of the regular manufacturing of hand-made paper from long-fibred
pulps, in accordance with the old European practice.262. The Museum of Paper is
currently housed in one of two main buildings of the mill, and the museum is
subordinate to this handmade papermill in Velké Losiny263, see Fig.43.

260
Zuman, (cf. note 226), p. 180.
261
Lindberg, (cf. note 3), watermarks nos.: 60, 118, 619.
262
Sedláček, (cf. note 249).
263
Handmade paper mill Velke Losiny. http://www.rucnipapirna.cz [in Czech & English].

80
Fig.43: A view of the Velké Losiny handmade papermill; photograph reproduced with
permission from Ruční papírna Velké Losiny a.s.

The first papermill on the territory of today’s Slovakia was established before
1530 in Levoča (in Hungarian Löcse, in German Leutschau). It was the first
papermill in the Kingdom of Hungary. We do not know the exact date of the
foundation of this mill, which starts the papermaking tradition respected both by
Hungarian264 and Slovak265 paper historians. Bogdán and Decker, present the
same information about the papermill, which was burnt down on 24 November
1530 during the siege of this town, according to the chronicle written (within the
years 1516-1536) by Conrad Sperrfogel (or Konrád Sperfogel), a citizen of
Leutschau. However, Sperrfogel applied foreign papers (French and German),
not the products of the local mill in Löcse, as the basis of his manuscript.
Moreover, a fire destroyed a greater part of Levoča in 1550, together with the
town hall and the entire archive. Bogdán believed that Polish papermakers had
started making paper in Löcse, a town situated in the Hungarian part of the
historical region of Szepes (in Slovak Spiš, in German Zips, in Polish Spisz),
keeping in mind so early development of papermaking in the nearby Kraków
area, as well as Polish part of Spisz in the close vicinity of Löcse. In 1412, King
264
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 31-35.
265
Decker, (cf. note 63), p. 35.

81
Sigismund of Luxembourg pawned the part of the Zips area to King Ladislaus II
Jagiellon for the sum equalled to about 7.5 tons of pure silver. Later on King
Sigismund I the Old organised the district in Polish part of Spisz, being the
authorities until the annexation of this area (1769) by Austrian troops.
The quick development of papermaking in the territory of nowadays
Slovakia is observed almost from the very beginning of the seventeenth century.
The history of papermaking in Slovakia was elaborated by Bogdán within the
frame of his extensive history of papermaking in the Kingdom of Hungary,
published in 1963. This was of significance for the progress of further studies by
Decker, who, in his book published in 1982, supplemented the history of
papermaking in Slovakia with the results of his own investigations and with
1240 tracings (reduced) of the watermarks applied in the papermills active on
the territory of nowadays Slovakia. Decker frequently informs in his book about
the results gained earlier by Bogdán, considering the history of hand
papermaking in Slovakia as the common heritage of the Slovaks and the
Hungarians. The data selected from these publications are quoted below. In the
monograph by Bogdán, the condensed recapitulation of his information about
the papermills 266 is supplemented with two maps.

Ten papermills were established in the Spiš area before 1800, such as: Spišská
Teplica (Teplic, Teplitz) in 1613, Poprad 1 (Veľká, Felka, Völk, Wielka) in
1633, Nižné Ružbachy (Alsóruzbach, Unter-Rauschenbach) in 1633, Vyšné
Ružbachy (Felsőruzbach, Ober-Rauschenbach) in 1644, Spišská Nová Ves (Igló,
Neudorf, Nowa Wieś) in 1675, Poprad 2 (Poprád, Deutschendorf) in 1693,
Veľký Slavkov (Felsőszálok, Groβschlagendorf) in 1696, Podolínec (Podolinc,
Pudlein, Podoliniec) in 1697, Spišské Vlachy (Olaszi, Wallendorf, Spiskie
Włochy) in 1785, Gelnica (Gölnic, Gölnitz) in 1791. For two mills, Podolínec
and Gelnica, their further history is unknown, and the Felsőszálok mill was

266
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 158-225.

82
active until 1785; however, the rest of the above-mentioned papermills were
active until the middle of the nineteenth century. Many papermakers who had
practised this craft in the Spiš mills, later on established (or operated) papermills
in other parts of Slovakia.267
Benedikt Matavovský, a papermaker who had started his work at Spišská
Teplica in 1669, bought this mill in 1673. His skilfully made papers, permanent
and durable, are still of high brightness. King Leopold I granted the nobility to
him in 1697. In the same year, the King ordered the organisation of one guild for
book merchants and printers of books together with papermakers, and appointed
Matavovský the senior of the guild. Matavovský ran the Teplic mill until his
death, in 1716 (Fig.44).268 After that his nephew, Ľudovít Matavovský, operated
the papermill.269

Fig.44: Watermark (reduced) of the papermill in Spišská Teplica (Teplic, Teplitz) with the
initials of Benedikt Matavovský; according to Decker (cf. note 63, watermark no. 1131 ab).

Papers of higher quality were also made in the second mill in Poprad (Poprád,
Deutschendorf);270 the Polish name of the town is the same as Slovak. However,
the best paper in the Spiš area was manufactured in two mills at Ružbachy. In
comparison with their products, paper from the Spišská Nová Ves mill was a bit
267
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 35-43.
268
Ibid., p. 207, watermark no. 1131 ab.
269
Ibid., pp. 35f.
270
Viliam Decker: Dzieje papierni w Popradzie [A story of the papermill in Poprad]. In: Przegląd Papierniczy 13
(1957), pp. 181-184.

83
lower quality.271 The latter mill frequently used watermarks with its Hungarian
name: IGLO; however, sometimes the watermarks with the inscription IGLAU,
denoting the Iglau-Altenberg mill in Czech Lands, were (erroneously) classified
as the watermarks of the Igló mill.
Liptovský Michal (west of Poprad) is the town where the second papermill
in Slovakia was established, in 1596 or 1600 (also mentioned in paper-historical
studies as: Liptoszentmihály, Liptó, Németlipcse, Lupča, and Nemecká Lupča).
From 1693, the mill had been owned for hundred years by the Zima (Zimányi)
family. Within the years 1720-73, papermakers of the Stampor family ran this
mill. The mill was active up to the middle of the nineteenth century; but a higher
quality paper was made there only in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.272
In Tisovec (south of Liptovský Michal), a papermill was built in 1663 by
an unknown papermaker who was provided with financial support from the
Kubinyi family. This family retained the ownership of the mill at Tiszolc (now
Tisovec, also known as Theissholtz) until the 1840s. In the opinion of Decker,
master Pavol Kramer was involved in operating this mill earlier then 1768, as
given by Bogdán regarding master Pál Kromer.273 In 1759, Kramer participated,
as the master in the Tisovec papermill, in the convention organised by the
master papermakers of the Spiš area. Moreover, this mill was rebuilt (or
renewed) by Kramer in 1767.274 In 1772, master Jozef Lenner (Lanner) followed
Kramer. J. Lenner the younger ran this mill until 1820, continuing the
manufacture of a high quality paper.275
In the nearby Muráň (Murány, Murányfalva, Unter-Muran) a papermill was
probably founded before the end of the seventeenth century; however, there is a
lack of the source information. Many details about this mill are known from the
second half of the eighteenth century, connected with activities of master Jozef

271
Ibid., (cf. note 63), pp. 40ff.
272
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 192. Decker, (cf. note 63), p. 29.
273
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 221.
274
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 19f.
275
Ibid.

84
František Lenner (1777-1803), companion Martin Voznik who in 1778 went to
Ružomberok (Rózsahegy, Rosenberg) papermill, and master Matej (Mátyás)
Potamka (1808-1829). The mill manufactured yearly about 1200 reams of
various kinds of writing and printing papers, together with some absorbent and
packaging papers. Writing papers of a high quality were manufactured there
almost to the middle of the eighteenth century.276
According to Bogdán, the first papermill in Dobsina (now Dobšiná, also
known as Topschau) was established in 1686 by master János Czieser, and the
mill was owned by papermakers of the Czieser family up to 1806. 277 In the
opinion of Decker, there is a lack of information about activities of this mill
after 1723, when the mill was visited by F.E. Brückmann, a German physician
and naturalist, who purchased asbestos paper manufactured in Dobšiná from
fibrous asbestos (started probably about 1700). Later on, Brückmann described
the manufacture of the asbestos paper in his book on geology.278 Earlier attempts
of making paper from asbestos were reported (1684) in England as unsuccessful.
Brückmann published his book in two volumes (Braunschweig, 1727-30), a few
copies of which were printed on the paper made of asbestos, the first use of
asbestos for this purpose.279 However, activities of the second mill in Dobšiná
were more important for manufacturing writing and printing papers. Following
the studies by Bogdán, Decker believed that the second mill had been built in
Dobšiná (probably) before 1715, by Jan Zieser, the son of Jakub Zieser from
Poprad. The Zieser family retained the ownership of the second mill in Dobšiná
until 1810. They made a high quality paper; however, papers made at that time
in the nearby mill at Muráň were better.280

Long-active papermills were established by members of the Pálffy family in

their properties in the vicinity of Pozsony (now Bratislava, also known as
276
Ibid., pp. 20f.
277
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 169.
278
Decker, (cf. note 63), p. 21.
279
Hunter, (cf. note 9), pp. 312, 316, 486, 609.
280
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 21f.

85
Preßburg), and the coat of arms of this powerful Hungarian family was a leading
motif of the watermarks applied in these mills, as long as the Pálffy family
owned the mills (Fig.45).281 They were noted for the fineness of their products.
In Pezinok (Bazin, Bösing) a papermill was founded in 1620. It was active until
1866; however, many details of its history remained unknown. In 1680, master
Michal Wetzel operated this mill.282

Fig.45: Watermark (reduced) of the papermill at Bazin (now Pezinok, also known as
Bösing) with the Pálffy arms, dated 1673, according to Bogdán (cf. note 62).

In the opinion of Decker, the next papermill in the property of the Pálffy family
was founded in Častá (Cseszte, Píla, Vöröskő, Satmansdorf, Bibersburg) in1675,
and the mill was active until 1891. In 1755, master Ignác Ludwig ran this mill,
manufacturing paper of high brightness.283 However, according to Bogdán, there
were two separated papermills working in so close vicinity, at Cseszte and in
Píla (Vöröskő), which were driven by the same stream called Gidra.
Nevertheless, Bogdán was able to present historical information only about that
papermill, which was active (in his opinion) at Píla (Vöröskő).284 Not so far from
these locations, there was a similar case regarding the papermill in Borinka
(Borostyánkő or Pozsonyi Borostyánkő, Ballenstein, Pajštún) and in Stupava
(Stomfa, Stampfen). According to Bogdán, there were two separated mills, both
driven by the same stream called Morava; however, there was a lack of

281
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 160f, Fig. 22.
282
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 15f.
283
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 16f.
284
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 167, 208ff.

86
information about the Stomfa mill.285 In the opinion of Decker, there was only
one mill (at Borinka) but differently called, which was founded at the end of the
seventeenth century by members of the Pálffy family. Ján Ecker is mentioned in
1757 as the papermaker running this mill.286

Examples of the long-active papermills founded in other parts of Slovakia in the

seventeenth century should be recalled. In Košice (Kassa, Cashau), a papermill
was established in 1640. The mill was active also in the second half of the
nineteenth century. However, the quality of its products was not so high owing
to water shortages for driving three waterwheels of this mill.287 In Sabinov (north
of Prešov), a papermill was established in 1644; however, probably the second
mill, which was established in Sabinov (Kisszeben, Zeben), continued activities
of the first one. According to Decker, the third papermill in this town was started
in 1803.288 In the opinion of Bogdán, there was only one papermill in Kisszeben,
founded in 1644 and active also in the second half of the nineteenth century.289
In the nearby Zborov (Zboro, Makovica), a papermill was established in 1651,
and initially (until 1697) the Rákóczi family owned the mill. According to
Decker, the mill was burnt down in 1883 or 1884.290 There is a lack of detailed
information about a papermill in Prešov (Eperjes, Eperies), and Bogdán believed
that the Eperjes mill had been active only within the years 1697-1714.291
In Kremnica (west of Banská Bystrica), a papermill was founded before
1610, according to so early watermarks depicting a part of the arms of this town,
recalled by Decker.292 In the opinion of Bogdán, however, the first papermill in
Körmöc (now Kremnica, also known as Kremnitz) was established in 1625. In
the eighteenth century the mill was equipped with the Hollander beater and two
285
Ibid., pp. 164, 217.
286
Decker, (cf. note 62), p. 17.
287
Ibid., pp. 12ff.
288
Ibid., p. 44.
289
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 182.
290
Decker, (cf. note 63), p. 45.
291
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 172.
292
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 47f.

87
vats.293 Two papermills were founded in Slovenská Ľupča (east of Banská
Bystrica), known also as Zólyolimpcse. In the opinion of Bogdán, the first
papermill in this town started its activity in 1711, and the second one in 1783.294
Further studies by Decker corrected these dates, the first mill was active as early
as in 1697, and the second mill, sometimes called Driekyňa, was built in 1788.
In both mills papermaking machines were installed in the second half of the
nineteenth century.295
Two papermills were also established in Kláštor pod Znievom (north of
Kremnica, in the vicinity of the town of Martin), both in 1656, in this location
known in paper-history also as Znióváralja. Bogdán added the question mark to
his information about the establishing of both papermills by the University
Printing House at Nagyszombat (Tyrnau), now Trnava.296 However, Decker
approved this fact in his studies, supplementing the history of these mills with
further details. Both mills were located on the ground owned by the Jesuit
College, on banks of the stream called Vrica. The controversy between the
University Printing House and the Jesuit College was solved in 1708. The upper
mill remained a property of the University Printing House and the lower mill
became a property of the Jesuit College.297 The latter, denoted by Bogdán as
Znióváralja 2, and by Decker as Kláštor pod Znievom 1, was active until 1773;
however, in the upper mill (Znióváralja 1, or Kláštor pod Znievom 2) the
manufacture of paper by hand was continued until 1858. An example of the
watermark (with the countermark below it) of the upper mill is shown in Fig. 46,
according to Decker.298

293
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 188f.
294
Ibid., p. 225.
295
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 56ff..
296
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 223ff.
297
Viliam Decker: Papierne univerzitnej kníhtlačiarne v Trnave [Papermills of the University Printing House in
Trnava]. In: Papír a celulóza, Vol. 33 (1978), pp. 29ff.
298
Ibid.,(cf. note 63), p. 138, watermark no. 287 ab.

88
Fig.46: Watermark (reduced) of the upper papermill at Kláštor pod Znievom (Znióváralja)
depicting the coat of arms of Hungary, with the name of the tenant who ran this mill within
the years 1812-21; according to Decker (cf. note 63, watermark no. 287 ab).

In the seventeenth century, 24 papermills were established in territory of today’s

Slovakia, and 56 in the eighteenth century. Many of them were still active in the
nineteenth century, when some new papermills were additionally built.299 The
manufacture of hand-made papers in such nineteenth-century papermills was
sometimes able to compete successfully with early machine-made papers. The
papermill established in 1828 at Harmanec (Hermanec) was equipped with three
waterwheels, four Hollander beaters, and six vats (!). The yearly output of this
mill was from 12 thousand to 15 thousand reams, or even higher, keeping in
mind the consumption of the rags in this mill, within the range from 4 thousand
to 5 thousand hundredweight per year. Wove (‘velin’) papers for writing and
printing, together with packaging papers and boards, were made by hand in this
mill until 1841, when a paper-making machine was installed there.300
According to Bogdán, the fourth papermill in Kokova (now Kokava) was
established (1837) and owned by the Forgách family. In 1839, 8700 reams of
hand-made paper, mainly wove paper for writing and printing, were
manufactured in this mill equipped with three waterwheels, three Hollander
beaters, and three vats.301 Decker presented more details about this mill that (in

299
Ibid., p. 61.
300
Ibid., pp. 58-61.
301
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 186.

89
his opinion) was the third papermill in Kokava, established in 1835 by Count
Forgách. Its yearly output of paper was finally increased to 11600 reams, after
introducing the fourth vat, i.e. to about 42 reams of paper made by hand during
each working day. The papermill was known under the Hungarian name the
‘Rima Chorepai papieros-gyár’, which suggested the machine manufacture of
paper, in spite of the fact that the mill did not employ any paper machine. Its
wove papers were awarded medals at the World Exhibition in Vienna (1873).
Such considerable quantities of hand-made paper were successfully
manufactured in this mill almost to the end of the nineteenth century.302 These
activities proved that the papermaking craft was able to compete with the
machine paper-making in the early days of the paper-making machine, when the
widths were comparatively narrow, until the fibrous pulps from wood became
broadly applied in paper-making, especially that exceptionally cheap mechanical
pulp produced by grinding of wood logs, which was invented in Germany
(‘Holzschliff’, in English ‘stone groundwood pulp’).

Paper from the mills active on territories of today’s Slovakia was consumed
both locally and in other parts of the former Hungary. Later it was also exported
to south-eastern parts of Poland, and next to its part annexed by Austria. In the
album published by Matsiuk, watermarks of the papermills located in eastern
parts of today’s Slovakia are frequently present.303

On the territory of today’s Hungary papermills started their activities as late as

in the eighteenth century, and about fifteen papermills were established during
the course of this century. However, the first printing office in Hungary was
founded in Buda as early as in 1472/73, under the reign of Mátyás Hunyadi
‘Corvinus’, the son of János Hunyadi, a Hungarian nobleman of Transylvania

302
Decker, (cf. note 63), pp. 24f.
303
Matsiuk, (cf. note 156), for example: no. 65 (POPRAD, 1783), no. 543 (RUSBACH, 1812), no. 545
(ZBORO, 1819), no. 580 (GOLNIZ, 1789).

90
who in 1456 had defeated Turkish army at Nándorfehérvár (now Belgrad). The
King was known as a collector of the books (the priceless ‘Corviniana’) and a
protector of Renaissance art. Under his reign, Andreas Hess printed the famous
Chronica Hungarorum in 1473 at Buda. There were suggestions about the
establishing of the Hungarian papermill in 1470; nonetheless, the books of
Andreas Hess had been printed on imported paper.304

It should be recalled that the last independent King of Hungary and

Bohemia, Louis II the Jagiellon, was killed in the battle of Mohács (1526)
against the Ottoman Turks. The Turkish occupation of the royal seat in Buda
(1541) resulted in the Partition of Hungary. Central Hungary became an
Ottoman province, Transylvania became a separate principality subordinate to
the Ottomans, and western and northern parts of Hungary were subordinate to
the Habsburgs. And therefore activities of the Hungarians were earlier
concentrated in Upper Hungary, i.e. in Slovakia, and in Transylvania as well.
This is a reason for so late propagation of papermaking in the central part that
constitutes the today’s Hungary. Some of the results published by Bogdán on the
eighteenth-century papermills on this territory active until the mid-nineteenth
century are quoted below.

Starting from the north-east, the papermill in Erdőhorváti (west of Sárospatak)

manufactured writing papers from 1786.305 In Sajószentpéter (north of Miskolc),
a papermill was established before 1725.306 In Csaba (south of Miskolc), the
Bárczay family established (about 1741) a papermill.307 North-west of Miskolc,
in Dédes (now Dédestapolcsány), the Serényi family founded (before 1787) a
papermill.308

304
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 30f.
305
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 172f.
306
Ibid., p. 215.
307
Ibid., p. 167.
308
Ibid., pp. 167f.

91
 In the opinion of Bogdán, Sámuel Martinyi, a master papermaker, built in
1802 a papermill in Diósgyőr (now within the frontiers of Miskolc).309
According to the results gained in further studies, the mill was established
earlier, in 1782; however, its first dated watermark was of 1802. The Diósgyőr
mill was (and still is) noted for the fineness of its papers. The Paper Industry
Museum was opened there in 1982, and enlarged in 2002. At present the mill is
specialised in the machine manufacture of base papers for bank notes, cheques,
documents, etc.310 Its papers are also used in publishing bibliophile prints, like
the two volumes by the late Lajos Nándor Varga, an eminent Hungarian graphic
artist & painter and the lover of watermarks, issued in 1995 to commemorate the
hundredth anniversary of his birth. The presentation of the archival material
collected in the Museum of Sepsi-Szent-György, is a highly interesting part of
the first volume. That museum was founded in 1879 by Csereyné Zathureczky
Emilia. [In Romania, the town is called Sfintu Georghe. During the Second
World War, the collection of the museum was badly damaged, and part of it was
even destroyed.] The second volume contains the watermarks gathered by
Varga. The two volumes show the wood engravings (!) of altogether 835
watermarks, many of them are from the papermills located in the discussed
region. They were printed on the watermarked wove paper from the Diósgyőr
mill. The leading motif of the watermarks used in this mill is shown in Fig.47, as
the wood engraving by Varga.311

309
Ibid., p. 169.
310
Diósgyőri Papírgyár Zrt, http://www.dipa.hu .
311
Lajos N. Varga: Vízjegyek [Watermarks]. Budapest 1995, Vol. 2, p. 378, watermark no. 770.

92
Fig. 47: Watermark (reduced) representing the leading motif of the watermarks used in the
Diósgyőr papermill, reproduced as the wood engraving elaborated and published by Varga
(cf. note 311).

In Szentendre (north of Budapest), a papermill was established before 1771.312 In

Sóly, north of Lake Balaton, the Cistercian monastery in Zirc founded (before
1796) a papermill to manufacture writing papers.313 In Pápa, near Veszprém, a
papermill was established earlier, before 1729, and the Eszterházy family owned
this mill, from 1730.314 The aristocratic Hungarian family owned also the
papermill in the nearby Igal (founded before 1820).315 Koncz gathered more
details from the history of the last three papermills, together with 102 tracings
(reduced) of watermarks.316 The earliest watermark published by Koncz is
shown in Fig.48.317

Fig.48: The earliest watermark (much reduced) of the Pápa mill, dated 1737, which was
found by Koncz (cf. note 316).

The Eszterházy family established the papermill in Léka (1731); now

Lockenhaus in Austria. The mill had been active for more than hundred years,
producing writing & printing papers, as well as such a difficult paper product as

312
I. Bogdán, op. cit. [67], pp. 218-219.
313
Idem, pp. 215-217.
314
Idem, p. 206.
315
Idem, p. 180.
316
Pál Koncz: Pápa, Igal és Sóly papírmalmai a XVIII-XIX században [The papermills at Pápa, Igal, and Sóly, in
the 18th-19th centuries]. Publicationes Museorum Comitatus Vespremiensis, Vol. 17 (1984), pp. 567-602.
317
Idem, p. 579, Table I (p. 583) watermark no. 1.

93
the music paper for writing and printing the notes. Watermark of this mill is
shown in Fig.49.318

Fig.49: Watermark (much reduced) dated 1780 of the papermill in Léka (now Lockenhaus,
in Austria), according to Bogdán (cf. note 62).

Not so far from Léka, there was a papermill in Borostyánkő, now Bernstein in
Austria. The mill was established before 1763, and it was active after 1776.319
In Pécsvárad (Petschwar) a papermill was founded before 1719.
György Klimó, the Bishop of Pécs, established in 1764 a papermill in Pécs
(Fünfkirchen). Initial watermarks of this mill used his coat of arms as a motif.
The mill was owned by the Bishopric in Pécs until 1820.320

Earliest papermills in today’s Romania were established in the historical region

of Transylvania (in Romanian Ardeal or Transilvania, in Hungarian Erdély, and
in German Siebenbürgen). Its history is tightly linked also with the history of
Hungary, and therefore the tradition of the papermaking art in Transylvania is of
significance both to Hungarian and Romanian paper historians. Regarding the
first papermill in Transylvania, in the opinion of Bogdán, the 1546 record of
Brassó (now Braşov, also known as Kronstadt and as Corona) runs: In this year
318
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 190f, Fig. 39.
319
Ibid., p. 164.
320
Ibid., pp. 206ff.

94
the first paper was made by Pole of the name Jan, to which this task had been
assigned by Jan Fuxen and Jan Benkner, citizens of Brassó. According to this
author, the papermaker Jan was known under surname: Früe.321 However, Mareş
proved, that it was Joannes Hokermann, a papermaker from the Balice mill near
Kraków, who started making paper by hand in Braşov. The papermill was
situated near the stone bridge (Ghimbasel) and the costs of its building were
paid by Johannes Benkner and Hans Fuchs. The mill was burnt down during the
fights in 1600, and the repeated attempts to reconstruct the papermill remained
unsuccessful, as the result of the battles in the vicinity of this town, in 1603 and
1611. Mareş presented eight different watermarks found in papers manufactured
in this mill. The first watermark is shown in Fig.50.322

Fig.50: Watermark (reduced) dated 1546 of the papermill in Braşov (Brassó, Kronstadt,
Corona) according to Mareş (cf. note 143).

This watermark depicts the arms of the town to which a fox is added; the latter
commemorates Hans Fuchs, a co-founder of this mill. Probably, Hokermann
applied also the mould taken from Balice, with the watermark depicting a
double fluer-de-lis on a crowned shield and with his initials I H beneath the
shield. Such watermarked paper, dated 1561 in Suceava, Mareş considered as a
product of the Balice mill;323 however, this statement could be questioned.
According to to Bogdán, the next papermill in Brassó was built before 1735.324

321
István Bogdán: Historia papiernictwa węgierskiego [A history of Hungarian papermaking]. In: Przegląd
Papierniczy 18 (1962), pp. 328f.
322
Mareş, (cf. note 143), pp. XXI-XXIII, Fig. 10.
323
Ibid., pp. XXXII, 35 (watermark no. 1590), 414.
324
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 166.

95
The mill was active until the mid-nineteenth century, and examples of its
watermarks were published by Varga.325
Regarding the second sixteenth-century papermill in Transylvania, in the
opinion of Bogdán, Gáspár Heltai, a printer in Kolozsvár (Klausenburg, Cluj),
now Cluj-Napoca, founded a papermill at this town in 1563.326 According to
Mareş, the town council of Cluj approved (29 December 1560) the place to
establish a papermill by Heltai. In 1563, Heltai sent a certain János to Kraków
for companions of the papermaking craft to the planned papermill. The exact
date of starting the manufacture of paper in this mill remains unknown;
however, its first known watermarked paper is dated 29 April 1564. Watermarks
of this mill became very rare in archival material after 1602. Most likely, the
fights broken out in this area resulted in closing the papermill at Cluj, in
November 1601. Mareş presented nine different watermarks of this mill, the last
one only with the initials of its founder, G. Heltai.327 According to Varga, first
publication by Heltai in Latin (1550) was followed by books printed by him in
Hungarian language. A portrait of Gáspár Heltai and his watermark, artistically
elaborated by Varga,328 are shown in Fig.51.

Fig.51: Reproduction (reduced) of Gáspár Heltai’s portrait and his watermark, artistically
elaborated by Varga (cf. note 311).

325
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 196-198, 207, 219-221, 229-231, 248; Vol. 2, pp. 329-337.
326
Bogdán, (cf. note (62), p. 188.
327
Mareş, (cf. note 143), pp. XXIV-XXVII.
328
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 53f.

96
According to Bogdán, the Jesuits of Kolozsvár founded (before 1713) the
papermill in Kolosmonostor (Kolozs-Monostor, Mănăştur-Cluj); now within the
boundaries of Cluj-Napoca. The mill was active until the mid-nineteenth
century.329 Varga published a few watermarks of this mill.330
The third sixteenth-century papermill in Transylvania, according to
Bogdán, was founded in 1573 by the town council of Nagyszeben (now Sibiu,
also known as Hermannstadt).331 In the opinion of Mareş, the town council of
Sibiu financed the building of a papermill (by Jörg ‘Papiermacher’) as early as
in 1555. However, the newly built mill was immediately conveyed to the guild
of cloth makers, who returned the expenses to the town council. Stephen
Báthory, the first elected Prince of Transylvania [in 1576 elected the King of
Poland], granted the privilege to the town, dated 12 March 1573, to build a
papermill at the town and to sold its products in Transylvania. The town council
appointed Jerg Berger (a German of Reutlingen, called ‘Dracul’, i.e. devil) as
supervisor of the building activities. The papermill was built in the nearby
village of Tălmaciu (Talmács). The first watermarked paper of this mill,
operated by Berger, is dated February 1574. In the opinion of Mareş, the
papermill was not active in 1601, and most likely the mill was destroyed during
the battle of Şelimbăr (28 October 1599). Mareş presented two watermarks of
this mill, both with the coat of arms of the town (Fig. 52). In the second one,
used only within the years 1575-78, the emblem is added which was present as a
xylographic ornament in the issue of the evangelistary printed (Sibiu 1546) in
Old Church Slavic language.332

329
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 188.
330
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 217f, 227; Vol. 2, pp. 383f.
331
I. Bogdán, op. cit. [67], p. 196.
332
A. Mareş, op. cit. [121], pp. XXVII-XXVIII, Fig. 29, Fig. 30.

97
Fig.52: Two watermarks (reduced) of the sixteenth-century papermill in Sibiu (Nagyszeben,
Hermannstadt), according to Mareş (cf. note 143).

In the opinion of Bogdán, the town council founded the next papermill at
Nagyszeben (now Sibiu) in 1754, and the mill was active until the mid-
nineteenth century. Bogdán presented its watermark of 1786.333 Varga also
published watermarks of this mill.334 However, the latter author found the sheet
of paper, most likely from this mill, dated 12 July 1688 (!).335
West of this town, in Orlát (now Orlat, also known as Ortenbach), a
papermill was established before 1770. Initially, the Royal Treasury owned the
mill. Bogdán published its watermark of 1824,336 and Varga presented a few
other examples of watermarks used in this mill.337 The Royal Treasury owned
also a papermill founded (1750) by Count János Haller in Roskány (now
Roşcani, also known as Déva), near a brook called Dobra.338
Turning to the east, three long-active (also in the nineteenth century)
papermills were built, according to Bogdán, in Kercesoara (now Cârţisoara, also
known as Mühlenbach), Fogaras (now Făgăraş), and Hévíz (now Hoghiz). The
latter mill, also known as Oltbogát (in Romanian Bogata Olteană), was
established in 1743 by Telekiné Bethlen Kata, and writing papers were
watermarked there with the Bethlen arms (Fig.53).339

Fig.53: Watermark depicting the Bethlen arms and counter watermark (both reduced) of the
papermill in Hévíz (now Hoghiz), according to Bogdán (cf. note 62).

333
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 196ff, Fig. 42.
334
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 194f, 217, 224; Vol. 2, pp. 338ff.
335
Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 137, watermark with inscription HERRMANSTADT placed beneath the coat of arms of this
town.
336
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 203f, Fig. 45.
337
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 191, 218, 231, 236, 241.
338
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 212ff, Fig. 50 with watermark of 1808. Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, p. 225.
339
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), pp. 178f, Fig. 33 with watermark of 1834.

98
The Royal Treasury founded the Fogaras mill before 1732, and writing &
printing papers were watermarked there with double-headed eagle and
inscriptions FOGARAS or FAGARAS.340 In the opinion of Bogdán, the Teleki
family established (before 1710) a papermill in Kercesoara. The coat of arms of
the Teleki family was (until 1840) a leading motif of watermarks applied in this
mill.341 An example of such watermark is shown (Fig.54), according to Varga.342

Fig.54: Reproduction (much reduced) of the 1809 watermark of the mill in Kercesoara (also
known as Mühlenbach) now Cârţisoara, depicting the Teleki arms, artistically elaborated by
Varga (cf. note 311).

According to Bogdán, Prince Mihály Apafi (Apaffy) established a

papermill in Görgényszentimre (north of Hévíz), before 1660. The mill, known
also under names: Görgény, Görgeny, or Gheorgheni - now Gurghiu, was active
until the mid-nineteenth century. Initially, watermarks in writing and printing
papers of this mill depicted the Apafi arms, later the coat of arms of the
Bornemissza family, and finally, inscriptions with the mill’s name were
applied.343

340
Ibid., pp. 176f. Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 207-210.
341
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 182.
342
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 2, p. 317, watermark no. 648 of 1809.
343
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 177. Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, pp. 97, 119, 203.

99
In Romanian principality of Moldavia (now divided between Romania,
Moldavia, and Ukraine) papers with watermarks depicting the Moldavia arms
were used in the second half of the sixteenth century and in the first half of the
seventeenth century. While discussing the document written in Moldavia on
such paper by Voievodul Petru Şchiopul on 4 August 1583, Dîmboiu recalled
suggestions about the beginning of making paper by hand in Moldavia at that
time, probably in the vicinity of Baia. However, this was never documented.344
Mareş presents one variant of that watermark, found by him in the documents
dated within the years 1582-1591, which is reproduced here in Fig.55. Knowing
information from Poland, Mareş considered the Polish provenance of these
watermarks.345

Fig.55: Watermark (reduced) depicting the coat of arms of Moldavia, present in papers of
Polish provenance found by Mareş (cf. note 143) in the archives at Iaşi, in the documents
dated from 1582 to 1591.

In Romanian principality of Wallachia, now in Romania, the papermaking craft

was started in the first half of the seventeenth century. Dîmboiu recalled such
papermills established at Govora and in Cǎlimǎneşti. In his opinion, also
Palatine Matei Basarab founded (1640) a papermill in the vicinity of Tîrgovişte
or near Cîmpulung. Information about this mill was published in the printed
pamphlet (Cîmpulung 1643) by Chancellor Udrişte (Orest) Nǎsturel. More
papermills, called there ‘harturgii’, were established later on, in the next century.
In 1768, paper was manufactured in such mill at Fierbinţi, on the river of
Colentina, near Bucureşti. In Fig.56, watermarks of papermills working at
344
Aurel Dîmboiu: De la piatră la hîrtie [From stone to paper]. Bucureşti 1964, pp. 303f.
345
Mareş, (cf. note 143), pp. XX-XXI, XXIX, 60 (watermark no. 319), 390.

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Govora and in Cǎlimǎneşti are reproduced, after Dîmboiu.346 Both watermarks
depict the Eagle of Wallachia. Such watermarked paper of the Cǎlimǎneşti mill
is visible in the Wallachian edition of Thomas á Kempis, printed at the Deal
monastery.347

Fig.56: Watermarks (reduced) of the Govora papermill (left, dated 1638) and of the
Cǎlimǎneşti mill (right, dated 1642), after Dîmboiu (cf. note 344).

On the territory of today’s Croatia, making paper by hand was started in only
one mill. In the opinion of Bogdán, this papermill with one vat was established
in 1771 at Novavilla (near Zágráb).348 According to further studies, this
papermill in Nova Ves near Zagreb (Neudörfl bei Agram) was active from 1772
to 1825.349

Hand papermaking was better developed in Slovenia. While presenting new

350
results gained in the studies on papermills at Loka and in Goričane, Cafuta
recalled papermills established in Slovenia, as well as earlier investigations into
this issue done by Šorn.351 There were eight papermills before 1800, and the first
of them was active within the years 1580-96 at Zgornja Hrušica (Birnbaum) in
the Studenec (Kaltenbrunn) estate, near Ljubljana (Laibach). The village of Zg.
346
Dîmboiu, (cf. note 344), pp. 312f.
347
Simmons (ed.), (cf. note 43), p. 37, watermark nos.: 1796, 1797.
348
Bogdán, (cf. note 62), p. 201.
349
Information kindly sent by Darko Cafuta, according to Andrija L. Lisac: Razvoj industrije papira u Zagrebu
[Development of the paper industry at Zagreb]. Zagreb 1961.
350
Darko Cafuta: The History of the Loka Paper Mill and the Beginnings of the Goričane Paper Mill. In: IPH
Congress Book, Vol. 12 (1998), pp. 20-29.
351
Jože Šorn: Ältere Papiermühlen in Slowenien. In: Papiergeschichte 6 (1956), pp. 40ff.

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Hrušica was also called Gorenja Hrušica (Oberbirnbaum), now within the
frontiers of Ljubljana. This first papermill was founded by Janž Kisl (Khisl, or
Khisel). Šorn supposed supplying with its paper the printing office at
Ljubljana.352 However, recent investigations by Cafuta into the papers to be
found in the books published within the years 1580-96 in Ljubljana proved a
lack in their paper stock the paper made in the first Slovene mill.353
South-west from the city of Ljubljana, two papermills were established,
first of them was active within the years 1669-94 at Vipava (Wippach) estate,
and the second one was run in Ajdovščina (Aidusina, Haidenschaft) from 1767
to 1829. The latter was the biggest papermill in Slovenia, with an output of 7000
reams of paper a year. It was established by Tomaž Kumar, a Slovene
entrepreneur who wrote his name also as Thomas Cumar, or Kumer. High
quality papers manufactured in this mill were successfully exported, among
them also the so-called ‘Blaues holländisches Papier’ used for packaging
sugar.354 West from this mill, in Podgora near Gorica (Podgora bei Görz), a
papermill was founded in 1789; now in Italy as Potgora near Gorizia, at the
frontier with Slovenia. Hand-made paper was produced there until starting
machine papermaking, in 1859. An example of the watermark of the Ajdovščina
mill is shown in Fig.57, according to Šorn.355

Fig.57: Watermark (reduced) dated 1769 of the papermill in Ajdovščina (formerly also
known as Aidusina, or Haidenschaft) with the initials of its founder (and owner) in counter
watermark, after Šorn (cf. note 351).

352
Ibid., p. 40.
353
Information kindly sent by Darko Cafuta.
354
Šorn, (cf. note 351), p. 42.
355
Ibid., Abb. 8.

102
 The longest manufacture of paper by hand in Slovenia was carried out in
the mill at Žužemberk (south-east of Ljubljana), in German called Seisenberg. In
the opinion of Šorn, the mill was established in 1716 by Anton Nikel. He
manufactured yearly 1500 reams of paper, which was also sold in neighbouring
countries. The Kleinmayr family of the book printers from Ljubljana became an
owner of the mill in 1792. Thank to their investments the papermill in
Seisenberg was enlarged and modernized.356 However, according to the newest
results gained in the investigation by Cafuta, Thomas Kraidl built this papermill
in 1701, and the mill was active until 1870. The widow Kraidl married Anton
Nikel on 29 July 1721. The Kleinmayr family became a co-owner of this mill in
1788.357
Not so far from this mill, at Njivice near Radeče (Niviz bei Ratschach), in
the Radeče (Ratschach) estate, a papermill was built that was driven by the river
of Sopota. Making paper by hand was continued there until introducing a
papermaking machine, in 1854. The mill was established before 1 April 1723,
the date of the earliest known watermark of this mill.358

Two small papermills were built near the town of Škofja Loka (north-west of
Ljubljana), in German Bischoflak. Cafuta proved that first of them, in the estate
of Loka (Lak), was active from 1740 to 1785. Shortly after closing this mill, the
second one was established (1788) in Ladja near Medvode (Ladia), in the estate
of Goričane (Görtschach).359 In 1865 the mill was burnt down. After its
rebuilding the manufacture of stone groundwood was started and thereafter, in
1872, a paper-making machine was installed there.360

356
Ibid., p. 41.
357
Information kindly sent by D. Cafuta.
358
Ibid.
359
Cafuta, (cf. note 350), pp. 22-28.
360
Information kindly sent by D. Cafuta.

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An example of the watermark used in the Loka mill, found by Cafuta, 361 is
shown in Fig.58.

Fig. 58: Watermark (reduced) of the Loka (Lak) mill, with the initials of Anton Grundner, a
papermaker in this mill; found by Cafuta (cf. note 350) in a manuscript of 1778.

The initials of a papermaker are supplemented in this watermark with a motif

from the coat of arms of Škofja Loka (Bischoflak). History of this town began in
973, when Emperor Otto II granted the territory of Loka to Abraham, the Bishop
of Freising in Bavaria. The coat of arms of the Freising district in Bavaria
contains the same motif of ‘Freisinger Mohr’ presented in heraldry as ‘rot
gekrönter schwarzer Mohrenkopf mit rotem Ohrring’. Later on, the ancient link
with Bavaria manifested itself also in Slovene hand papermaking, in
involvement of descendants of the families of Bavarian origin, both as founders
of papermills and as papermakers, from Kisl, a founder of the first papermill in
Slovenia, to Grundner, a papermaker in the Loka mill.

Undoubtedly, the earliest papermill in the discussed region of Europe was

established near Constantinople. However, the exact date of the foundation of
the mill remains unknown.362 The Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in
1453, which after that was renamed İstanbul. According to Kâğıtçı, the suburb
with the papermill was called Kâğıthâne, and the same name was given to the
361
Cafuta, (cf. note 350), p. 26, Fig. 6.
362
Toni Schulze: Kleine Hinweise zur Papierfabrikation in der Türkei. In: Papiergeschichte 8 (1958), pp. 43-48.

104
brook, the ancient Vorvisis, flowing into the Golden Horn.363 The Kâğıthâne mill
begins in Turkey the tradition of making paper by hand in accordance with the
method developed in Fabriano. In the opinion of Kâğıtçı, initial watermarks
applied in this mill depicted a ‘lion’, i.e. the motif that was the ‘trademark’ of
imported Venetian paper. The Kâğıthâne mill was eventually stopped during the
reign of Sultan Selim (1789-1809).364
The second papermill was established in Turkey at Bursa (Brussa), and first
information about activities of that mill was dated 1486. However, the date of its
definite closure remains unknown. ‘Three moons’ became a leading motif of the
watermarks used in the Bursa mill. In addition, the Kâğıthâne mill followed the
manufacture of such watermarked papers. This motif was an emblem of the
Turkish fleet of warships. Examples of such watermarks present in the sixteenth-
century Turkish papers are shown in Fig.59, after Kâğıtçı.365

Fig. 59: The sixteenth-century watermarks (much reduced) depicting ‘three moons’, found
by Kâğıtçı (cf. note 363) in Turkish papers extant in Turkish archives.

363
Mehmed Ali Kâğıtçı: Beitrag zur Türkischen Papiergeschichte. In: Papiergeschichte 13 (1963), pp. 37-44.
364
Mehmed Ali Kâğıtçı: Historical Study of Paper Industry in Turkey (In a bi-lingual English and French
version. Préface par Prof. Marcel Aribert). İstanbul 1976, pp. 8f.
365
Kâğıtçı, (cf. note 363), p. 41, Abb. 4 (watermarks no. 15).

105
According to Kâğıtçı, printing was introduced into Turkey in 1732. Such hostile
reactions from the calligraphers and copyists forced the Government to protect
this new industry. Said Mehmed Çelebi and İbrahim Müteferrika, the pioneers
of printing in Turkey, established (1746) a papermill in the village of Elmalık
near Yalova (Yalakàbâd) to meet the growing need of paper, and the mill was
active until the nineteenth century. At the beginning of its activity, as Kâğıtçı
wrote: “İbrahim Müteferrika who was in charge of the future of the mill went to
Poland in search of 4 papermakers to improve the production”. Thereafter the
papermill became enlarged and better equipped. The quality of its paper,
watermarked with a ‘lion’, was comparable to imported paper.366
The growing demand for paper in the Ottoman Empire, it means also in
south-eastern Europe subordinate to the Ottoman Empire, was additionally
satisfied by papermills in Italy, especially by Venetian mills, which introduced
to their watermarks the motif of ‘three moons’, as well as different variants of
another motif called ‘crown, crescent, and star’, designed to meet the wishes of
the Islamic culture. The latter motif decayed at the end of the eighteenth century,
and Mošin and Grozdanovič-Pajič elaborated their interesting typology of such
watermarks, giving possibilities for dating handwritings in the Ottoman Empire,
within the period from the sixteenth century almost to the end of the eighteenth
century.367
However, the watermarks depicting ‘three moons’, usually with additional
signs, are perceived even in the nineteenth century. Eineder published examples
of these watermarks depicting ‘three moons’ in Italian and Slovene papers,
manufactured in the second half of the eighteenth century and in the first half of
the nineteenth century.368 In Hungary, a few watermarks of this kind have been
published.369 Bogdanov discussed the watermark albums had been published in

366
Kâğıtçı, (cf. note 364), p. 10.
367
Vladimir Mošin, Mira Grozdanovič-Pajič: Das Wasserzeichen “Krone mit Stern und Halbmond”. In:
Papiergeschichte 13 (1963), pp. 44-52.
368
Eineder, (cf. note 171), Plates: 125-129, 147.
369
Varga, (cf. note 311), Vol. 1, p. 132 (wm. no. 277), Vol. 2, p. 369 (wm. nos. 745, 746).

106
Bulgaria and in Georgia (in south-western Caucasia), which documented ‘three
moons’ as a leading motif of the watermarks visible in papers of studied
collections.370 Gaudriault recalled information about the manufacture of such
watermarked papers (destined for Levant) in southern France in the eighteenth
century, as well as about different sizes (formats) of these papers called: ‘Trois
lunes, façon de Venise’, ‘Trois croissants façon de Venise’, ‘Trois croissants’ or
‘Trois lunes’, also ‘Trois croissants alignés verticalement’.371 Such watermarked
papers are not rare in European archives and libraries, also in these situated on
territories which were never subordinate to the Ottoman Empire.

Concluding remarks on hand papermaking in Central and Eastern

Europe before introducing paper-making machines
Making paper by hand has been started in the discussed region of Europe
comparatively late, towards the end of the fifteenth century, or even later in
some areas. At that time, the paper market in Europe was well established and
dominated by papers efficiently manufactured in such countries where the
papermaking craft had been developed earlier. And this was a difficulty that
early papermakers of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe had to contend
with, trying to start and develop domestic manufacture of a good paper at a
sufficiently low price to compete with foreign papers. The beginnings of
372
papermaking in England show how this task was difficult. Jenkins stated:
“Tate’s mill, wherever it was situated, must have had a very brief existence as a
paper mill; for, so far, there is no evidence whatever that it was at work before
1495 or after 1498.” And further attempts to revive interest in establishing
papermaking facilities in England, recalled by Jenkins,373 were for much of the

370
Bogdanov, (cf. note 58), pp. 56f, 292 (his note no. 93).
371
Raymond Gaudriault: Filigranes et autres caractéristiques des papiers fabriqués en France aux XVIIe et
XVIIIe siècles. CNRS Éditions/J. Telford, Paris 1995, p. 116, watermark nos. 457, 458.
372
Rhys Jenkins: Paper-making in England, 1495-1788. Reprinted from the ‘Library Association Record’, 1900-
1902. A.A.L. Reprints No. 5. London 1958, p. 3.
373
Ibid., pp. 4-7.

107
sixteenth century sporadic and short-lived. In Central and Eastern Europe,
however, the art of papermaking was successfully initiated in many places. A
lack of political stability and frequent wars in this region of Europe often
hindered the progress of the papermaking craft, as was the case with other
industries. Nevertheless, there were periods of so highly-developed paper
productivity in some areas of the region discussed, documented in this account,
that paper was also exported to neighbouring countries, sometimes even to the
countries located beyond the region discussed.
The technology and manufacturing experience were brought about into the
discussed region mainly by German papermakers who successfully cooperated
with local craftsmen. Besides burghers, the noble families and representatives of
the clergy were involved to a large degree in founding papermills. Such
‘manorial’ papermills were later leased or sold to master papermakers. As it was
highlighted, the Hungarians were most active in propagating the papermaking
craft by establishing numerous papermills on the vast territory of the former
Kingdom of Hungary. Paper manufacture by hand was continued almost until to
the middle of the nineteenth century, and sometimes even longer, especially in
eastern areas of the discussed region, supplying the community with writing and
printing papers much more durable and permanent than early machine-made
papers.

The heraldic motifs, mainly the coats of arms of noble families, sometimes the
arms of cities or towns - are prevalent in the watermarks applied by the mills in
the region discussed. Two watermarks had been introduced in this region
became later quite frequently used also in papermills located in other parts of
Europe. The ‘Adler’ watermark had been initiated in East Prussia, as the new
coat of arms given in 1525 by Sigismund I the Old, was (later on) modified in
many variants, especially after a proclamation of the Kingdom in Prussia, in
1700. This ‘Adler’ watermark was finally applied in papermills located on the

108
vast territory subordinate to the former Kingdom of Prussia. ‘Three moons’, a
leading motif of the watermarks used in Turkish papermill at Bursa (from the
sixteenth century), became later applied in many variants by numerous
papermills, also by the mills located beyond the discussed region of Europe.

Acknowledgements
First and foremost, my grateful acknowledgements are directed to my dear
friends at the IPH: Mrs Anna-Grethe Rischel (in 2008 at Stockholm elected
President of the IPH) for her friendly supplying me with some paper-historical
accounts, Dr Wolfgang Schlieder for his kindly offering a copy of his interesting
book on printed ream covers, Dr Klaus Roemer for his friendly presenting a
copy of his valuable work on paper-history in West Prussia, Dr Frieder Schmidt
for his generous offer of copies of some German publications and of original
issues of ‘Papiergeschichte’, and Ing. Darko Cafuta for his newest information
about Slovene papermaking and friendly offering copies of some elaborations on
hand papermaking in south-eastern areas of Europe.
I also wish to thank Dr Tünde Katona, of the University of Szeged, who
friendly supplied me with a copy of the István Bogdán’s publication of 1963.
My sincere thanks are directed to Prof. Jan Harasimowicz, of the University of
Wrocław, who kindly offered the scanned image of Merian’s engraving. I am
grateful to Dr Maciej Szymczyk, the Director of the Museum of Papermaking in
Duszniki, for his friendly supplying me with some paper-historical accounts.
Finally, I would like to thank Mgr Joanna Konkolewska-Buchholz of the State
Archive (Archiwum Państwowe) in Toruń for her lucid explanation of the
question of hand papermaking in the city of Toruń. 


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