"Wolfswinkel" Paper Factory

A Royal Paper Mill was built in Heegermühle all the way back in 1728, but the building was destroyed in 1760 during the Seven Years’ War and was moved to its present location. Production began in 1765. The mill was not especially productive to begin with, and changed hands multiple times. Under the management of Johann Friedrich Nitsche and his sons, however, it began to flourish economically from 1812. Industrial production began in 1834 in Wolfswinkel, later than in England and France, with the acquisition of an English paper machine.

In 1865 Karl Marggraff became a shareholder in the paper factory, and extended it as sole proprietor from 1886 onwards. Marggraff was also very concerned with improving his employees’ and their families’ quality of life. After his death the business was taken over by Siemens-Schuckertwerke, and mostly produced cable and insulation papers for Siemens’ cable plant in Berlin, plus wrapping, writing, printing and book paper, as well as paper for imperial postcards.

After the end of the Second World War, former employees prevented the factory being completely demolished by the Soviets by hiding away parts of the facility. 1946 saw the creation of VEB Papierfabrik Wolfswinkel, which specialised in cable-insulating paper and sandpaper. In 1956 and 1957 the factory began making paper by hand again, and production was transferred from the traditional factory in Spechthausen to Wolfswinkel. This was the only production site of its kind in East Germany, and its high-quality handmade paper products were renowned around the world – even Queen Elizabeth II ordered her writing paper here.