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Museum
SWITZERLAND BY RAIL - REGIONS - BASEL
SWISS PAPER & PRINTING MUSEUM
Hand Pulp Paper Making and Printing
The Swiss Museum for Paper and Printing in Basel (Schweizerisches
Papiermuseum) explores the historic art of paper making and the history
of printing. The museum is situated in a build which dates back to
the Middle Ages. In the 12th Century the Monastery of St Albans built
a canal to the Rhine River to divert water for corn mills, which were
converted to the production of paper in 1453 following the introduction
of Gutenberg’s printing press. Over the next century Basel became
one the most important paper producers of Switzerland. A collection
of buildings were taken up by a book seller and publisher in 1778 and
two of the remaining mill buildings were joined to house the museum
with a still working medieval water driven mill.
Here, history can be touched and felt, as visitors have the chance
to make their own paper and learn to set type the way of Gutenberg,
with lines of type melted and set in the brace, the wheel turned to
indent the ink deep into the fibers. The making of paper and setting
of type hand type is demonstrated before your eyes, beginning with
a workshop demonstration of the production of paper as it was made
by hand in the 18th Century before the introduction of machine production.
Rags from old cloth soaked in water and stamped into pulp is rolled
by hand rolled into sheets.
The museum’s live demonstration exhibits continue on through
the ages of printing from the hand press to modern machine printing
and off-set. Exhibits of the source of ink color dies and historic
manuscripts. There are static exhibits of the forms of printing,
and press machines. Beyond the demonstrations of printing arts by
the craftsmen, there are hands-on workshops especially for kids and
students allow the opportunity to learn the art of hand lettering
and to create original art paper designs.
The Paper and Printing Museum (Basler Papiermühle) is open Tuesday
to Sunday 2pm to 5pm. The museum is located at Sankt-Alban-Tal near
the Rhine River, and a 5 minute walk from the "Kunstmuseum" stop
of Tram Line 2. Or follow the Rhine Promenade from the Wettstein
Bridge to signs for the Schweizerisches Papiermuseum. Basel
Papermuseum
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