Paper mill in Duszniki Zdrój and the European paper mills one step closer to the inscription on World Heritage List

A few days ago the European Paper Mills (from the era of hand-made paper) have been included by UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Tentative Lists of Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Italy.  This means that in the years to come, the mentioned countries will jointly strive for the inscription of six historic paper mills on UNESCO World Heritage List.  

The idea of the inscription has been conceived a few years ago in the Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki Zdrój. As for the the content of the inscription on Tentative Lists, it actually did emerge from multiple consultations which had been carried out by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage with the ministries in charge of the UNESCO programmes in Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Italy over the past few years.  The current consensus shall be considered as great success, as it proves that we managed to win important leaders – i.e. the monument protection experts from Poland and four other countries – over our idea. In the following months, the international team of experts will work out the text of the preliminary nomination, that shall eventually be ready until September 2025. After that, the Nomination file will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre. Hence, we have a large amount of work before us.

The project involves the group of European paper mills from the era of hand-made paper, which considered as a whole, manifest unique historical and architectural values. These are the paper mills in: Duszniki Zdrój (Poland), Velké Losiny (Czech Republic), Capellades (Spain), Pescia (Italy), as well as Homburg and Niederzwönitz (Germany).

The earliest recorded history of the paper mill in Duszniki Zdrój dates back to 1562. The building stands out by its elegant architecture and interior decorations, including the unique wood paintings with the biblical scene of Joseph resisting Potiphar’s wife. In Velké Losiny, paper has been made by hand since 1596 r., and the architectural complex of the paper mill, has been shaped throughout the 18th and 19th century. The paper mill in Pescia was constructed in the first half of the 18th century and exemplifies typical architecture of Tuscany and the neighbouring Genoa region.  As for the German paper mills, both of them were erected in the 19th century and are distinguished by interesting individual features. These are: specific roof construction (Homburg) and the wide use of slate, being a key characteristic of the Ore Mountains Mining Region. The paper mill in Capellades dates back to the first half of the 19th century and has been partially constructed in tapia valenciana – i.e. rammed earth wall technique typical of this part of Spain. All the paper mill included in the project cherish the tradition of hand papermaking.

Information on the inscription of European Paper Mills on the UNESCO World Heritage List –
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage