Excellence in paper since 1584 - Hahnemühle turns 440 years old

On 27 February 1584, the founding father of Hahnemühle, papermaker Merten Spieß, received the foundation charter from the Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg. This licence to establish a paper mill is 'paid for' with annual deliveries of the finest sheets of document and writing paper.

"We are proud to celebrate our 440th birthday and our path to excellence: from our beginnings as a small paper manufacturer to an internationally renowned brand with unrivalled quality and innovative strength. Our papers with the iconic 'rooster' are trusted by generations of people worldwide," says Jan Wölfle, CEO of the Hahnemühle Group.

Hahnemühle's innovations include the first filter papers for chemical applications in the age of industrialisation - around 1880. This was followed by stock paper, which was exported as far away as Brazil. Artists such as Pablo Picasso printed on Hahnemühle paper, Salvador Dalí painted on it and today portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are exhibited on it in museums around the world. The paper from southern Lower Saxony conquers the world market and the paper manufactory becomes a paper factory.

"From the Renaissance to the digital age: for an incredible four centuries and four decades, we have been producing high-quality papers and applications that are at the forefront of art, science and industry," adds Jan Wölfle.

With a proud 440 years, Hahnemühle is a pioneer in iconic papers: as the world's first manufacturer, Hahnemühle has been producing exclusively vegan papers since 1965. In 1997, the paper experts invented the world's first and still leading Digital FineArt papers. Papers that travelled on the International Space Station ISS in 2010. Hahnemühle also supplies the purest papers for rapid diagnostic tests such as PCR tests in the Corona era.

Today's portfolio includes artist papers, analogue and digital fine art, photo and letterpress papers as well as services such as an app for these market-leading papers. In addition, customised papers for life science applications and technical speciality papers are "Made by Hahnemühle".

With 440 years of tradition, Hahnemühle is one of the world's most sustainable companies. The papers made from certified pulps or fast-growing plant fibres are valued in 130 countries for their advantages in terms of CO2 balance, durability and quality.

Hahnemühle produces its papers exclusively with pure spring water from its own artesian springs. They were also the reason for the establishment of a paper mill in 1584. To this day, the spring water is only "borrowed" from nature. It does not have to be treated before and after paper production, is reused several times and finally channelled into the nearby Ilme.
For Hahnemühle, its own sustainability also includes the "Green Rooster" initiative, which is unique in the paper industry. Since 2008, the company has been supporting both regional and international environmental protection and social projects. Part of the proceeds from paper made from bamboo, hemp, agave and sugar cane benefit reforestation, animal welfare and environmental education programmes - from the Harz Mountains to Alaska.

For its 440th birthday, Hahnemühle is supporting a 16,000 square metre, perennial flowering meadow as a "Green Rooster" project right on its doorstep. Together with the association Hof.Kultur Dassel e.V., this biodiversity project "Feld.Kulturerbe Solling" is being implemented to protect the biodiversity of the local flora and fauna. A large flowering festival is planned for June 2024 to mark the 440th anniversary of Hahnemühle.