LEIPZIG

The Museum of Printing Arts Leipzig, Germany

Being the birth place of Bach and the cradle in which Goethe wrote his first collection of poems, Leipzig should not be overlooked. It has a rich history in commerce and until World War II Leipzig was the center of the German book and music publishing industry, which makes it the perfect locale for some of the oldest and rarest printing presses left in the world. 

Sprouting out of nowhere between houses on a suburban street sits the Museum of the Printing Arts Leipzig. It is a three story building that conducts typesetting workshops and allows a hands-on experience with the machines. One of the first things you see when you walk in the door is the English Paragon Press of 1832, a large, ornately decorated handpress, and the last of it's kind. The museum's unique collection of presses and machines are stunning and still in use. While the focus is on letterpress printing, the museum also has lithography and engraving machines. There are still typesetters pouring individual letters using the same press alloy formula of tin, lead and antimony, that was used with the Gutenberg Press. The printers there are masters of their trade, producing precise and perfectly cut steel punches; you need a magnifying glass to see the smallest typeface. Among one of the oldest types they hold is an original set of matrices which comprise a gothic script cut before 1575 by Jakob Sabon. The museum also holds a collection of wood printing plates used for xylography, or woodengraving. They employ the only woodengraver left in Europe and his craftsmanship is impeccable. If you enjoy design and typography then The Museum of Printing Arts should be on your list of things to see in Leipzig, and with a cost of 3 euros per person it's definitely worth it.