PAPER ROUND
MADE IN FLENSBURG
325 YEARS OF PAPER
The Mitsubishi HiTec Paper mill in Flensburg is marking its 325th anniversary this year. Founded by Hinrich Gultzau in 1696 at “Mühlenstrom” outside the city gates.
I
n 1696, the Mecklenburg papermaker Hinrich Gultzau went to Flensburg. His ambitious plan was to build a paper mill. Back then, the city was still struggling to recover from the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War. Papermaking also suffered severe setbacks during wartime, while demand continued to grow. This meant that towards the end of the 17th century paper was a scarce, valuable commodity. The most important condition for building a paper mill 325 years ago was a suitable watercourse with a corresponding natural gradient. At the gates of the city, on the “Mühlenstrom”, Gultzau found a suitable piece of land. After receiving official approval, he was allowed to set up a paper mill in front of the red gate in Hennings Lundt and to live there. The foundation stone for today’s paper mill in Flensburg was laid.
INDUSTRIALISATION…SPECIALISATION… FLEXIBILITY
In the 19th century, industrial paper production took off at a rapid pace. In the first half of the 19th century, all processes, which had up to that point been carried out by hand, were mechanised. In the second half, new raw materials began to be produced in special pulp factories. In 1848, the first paper machine was installed at the current location in Flensburg. In 1954, a paper machine for the production of hygiene papers was put into operation and in 1970 the production of giroform carbonless papers began. In the early 1990s, after the license agreement with Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd. for the production of 18
JULY-AUGUST 2021• QUICK PRINT PRO
