Patent-Papierfabrik Hohenofen

THE ABANDONED PAPER PLANT IN GERMANY

‘Patent-Papierfabrik Hohenofen’ is an old paper plant in the German village Hohenofen. It was built in 1838 and stopped production after the German reunification. Today the site in a protected monument.

The paper factory was built on the site of the old blast furnace. The ‘Seigerhüttenwerk’ was shut down in early 1833 due to inefficiency. The paper plant went into operation on July 1, 1838. The annual production was 2,800 quintals of paper. Very fine watermark paper for government papers was produced. The paper mill was privatized in 1886.

From 1886, a new, 180 cm wide paper machine was installed. For the new machine, a new production hall was built. During this time, three bleach plants, a cellulose store and two magazine buildings were built. In 1905 the company ‘Felix Schoeller & Bausch’ from Neu Kaliß in Mecklenburg bought the Hohenofen factory.

From 1953, transparent drawing paper, transparent blueprint base paper, book writing paper, cardboard, manila crepe, knurled paper and wrapping paper were produced. Annual production in that year was 820 tons. During 1967 production was switched to the exclusive production of transparent drawing paper. The paper was exported to the entire Eastern Bloc, right up to Cuba.

Shortly after the fall of the iron curtain, production was stopped due to inefficiency. The plant had to close in 1992 and 140 employees lost their job. In 2003 the buildings and machines became an industrial monument.

Nowadays, the main building not only functions as a museum, but also as a location for concerts and other cultural events. The other buildings on the 1.5 hectare site are used as studios and workshops for the manufacture and sale of local, craft and sustainable products. I visited ‘Patent-Papierfabrik Hohenofen’ in 2019.

Built 1838

Abandoned 1992

Museum

Parts of the factory are in a bad state, but hopefully will be restored.
Urbex in an abandoned paper factory.
The paper plant went into operation on July 1, 1838.
All the machines are still inside the factory halls.
Technical room.
Switch.
Shortly after the fall of the iron curtain, production was stopped due to inefficiency.
Paper is the machines.
Lost place in germany.
Drawing table in one of the offices.
Energy.
Two large millstones grind the fibers into pulp.
Beaters are machines designed to beat cloth and plant fibers into high quality pulps.
Hollander Beaters in the abandoned factory.
Urban exploring in Germany.
Another view of the beater.
‘A’.
Safety first.
Offset presses smooth new paper out before it is finally wound up into machine rolls.
From 1953, transparent drawing paper, transparent blueprint base paper, book writing paper, cardboard, manila crepe, knurled paper and wrapping paper were produced.
Control unit.
Black board at the wall.
urban exploring in Germany.
Meters.