Velké Losiny Handmade Paper Mill (Paper Mill at Velké Losiny)
Olomoucký kraj
The Paper Mill at Velké Losiny is a historic manufactory in Velké Losiny (Olomouc Region) where handmade paper has been produced continuously since the late 16th century. Its four-century continuity of traditional papermaking is considered unparalleled in Central Europe, making it both a working craft site and a museum-worthy landmark. The mill was established on the site of a former grain mill and is closely tied to the Žerotín (Zierotin) estate, whose coat of arms appears on the earliest known watermark connected with the mill. Over the centuries it passed through the hands of various stationer families and masters, supplying writing and scratch paper as well as paperboard in the 17th and 18th centuries. A major technological step came with the adoption of a hollander beater for pulp preparation in 1729, likely the first such device in Moravia. Despite later competition and the rise of industrial papermaking in the 19th century, production survived-helped by the Schmidt family, who bought the mill in 1855. In the 20th century, the craft endured difficult periods thanks in part to the discovery of the handmade paper’s excellent filtration properties and renewed interest from artistic circles. Today, the mill continues to make paper from cotton and flax using traditional processes, linking visitors directly to a living Renaissance-era technology. Its significance has been formally recognized at national level, underscoring its importance within Czech industrial and cultural heritage.
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Tip: If you want to see traditional papermaking in action, plan your visit for times when demonstrations are most likely to run (typically during regular daytime opening hours). Because this is both a museum-style attraction and an active manufactory, allow extra time for any guided interpretation and for browsing paper products made on site. If you are combining sights in the area, it pairs well with other Velké Losiny heritage stops, but keep some flexibility-working production can influence what is accessible on a given day.
Interesting facts
- •The mill’s continuous handmade paper production since the late 16th century is described as unparalleled in Central Europe.
- •The earliest evidence of the mill’s existence is an oldest known watermark dated 1596 showing the Zierotin coat of arms (a crowned lion standing on three hills).
- •In 1729 the mill acquired a hollander beater for preparing pulp, probably the first device of its kind in Moravia.
- •Handmade paper is still produced here from cotton and flax using traditional processes.
- •The site was declared a Czech cultural monument (1958) and later a national cultural monument (2002).
- •In 2007 the Czech National Bank issued a 2500 CZK commemorative gold coin in the Industrial Heritage Sites series connected with the mill; it was designed by Luboš Charvát.
- •The manufactory is an applicant for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
History
The mill was built between 1591 and 1596 by Jan Zierotin the Younger on the site of a former grain mill; the oldest known watermark linked to the mill dates to 1596 and shows the Zierotin coat of arms.
In the 17th and 18th centuries it supplied writing and scratch paper and paperboard, and in 1729 it introduced a hollander beater for pulp preparation, probably the first in Moravia.
After a period of competitive pressure, Count John Louis of Zierotin sold the mill in 1778 to stationer master Matthias Werner the Younger, under whom it prospered again.
The Schmidt family purchased the mill in 1855, helping it survive the 19th-century shift toward industrial papermaking; in 1913 it was modernized and began using hydroelectric power.
The works were nationalized in 1949 (as part of Olšanské papírny), and in 2006 an independent company, Ruční papírna Velké Losiny a.s., was founded.
Contact
Phone: 583 286 061
