The Basel Paper Mill: the Swiss Museum for Paper, Writing and Printing

As back-to-school time brings to mind the smell of fresh paper and ink, a visit to the Basel Paper Mill in the city of Basel is a great way to introduce the new school year to your children. This museum offers different exhibits, workshops and tours sure to please both parents and children alike.

Visitors to the museum can create their own paper the old-fashioned way, using authentic medieval machines and techniques. Using the typesetting machines and creating special designs on your own paper are also possibilities. Housed in an authentic paper mill, which was in operation until 1924, the museum is home to many important collections of paper and papermaking tools and equipment.

The museum itself includes working areas where paper can be handmade or machine made. The Galician Mill, which began making paper in 1453, is the center of the Basel Paper Mill. Here you will learn how paper can be made from old clothes, rags and pieces of material that are soaked and beaten by the stamping machine, driven by a large waterwheel. In another part of the museum, one can observe paper being made by machines. There is also a section of the museum that focuses on the history of writing. In addition to papermaking exhibits and workshops, operating printing presses and book binding techniques can also be viewed.

Beautiful handmade paper, cards and books, as well as sealing wax, literature and engravings are on sale at the museum’s shop.

The area around the museum offers another look into the past. Along the two industrial canals of the St Alban Dych, several former mills can also be found. The church and monastery of St Alban as well as part of the old city walls are also nearby. A ferry links the two sides of the Rhine River, and you can stroll or picnic on either side. If you would rather dine out, the Restaurant Papiermühle and other restaurants are in the area.

Tours are available in English. For directions, ticket prices and information see the museum’s website.

By Mary Bider

Illustration courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Papiermuseum_Basel_2008_(28).jpg