Museums

Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój

The Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój operates in the only surviving paper mill of Lower Silesia, built before 1562 on the Bystrzyca Dusznicka river. Since 1968, visitors have come for the exhibitions and the demonstration paper workshop, where you can make a sheet of paper with your own hands — using historical methods and historic machinery.

A mill older than its first mention

Papermaking traditions in Duszniki reach back to the 16th century: the first written record of the mill dates to 1562, so it must have been built earlier. A flood in 1601 destroyed much of the site — after rebuilding, paper production resumed in 1605. Over the centuries Lower Silesia had around 100 paper mills; the Duszniki mill is the only one to survive.

Royal papermakers and Chopin

The Hellers, later owners who came from Frýdlant in Bohemia, received a hereditary title of royal papermakers in 1750. Duszniki paper ranked among the best in Silesia: the rulers of Poland, Bohemia and Prussia wrote on it, and during his stay at the spa in 1826 it was used by Fryderyk Chopin. Production was modernised step by step: an overshot waterwheel (1719), a mill for pulp (around 1737) and machines for cutting rags and smoothing paper (1753).

From decline to Monument of History

Machine-made paper gradually killed the mill's profitability in the 19th century; the last owner, Carl Wiehr, handed the site to the town in 1939 with the idea of turning it into a museum. The Museum of Papermaking opened on 26 July 1968, and three years later the demonstration papermaking began, today drawing tens of thousands of visitors a year. The reprint of the Polish Constitution of 3 May was printed on Duszniki paper. The mill entered the register of monuments in 1956, was named a Monument of History on 20 September 2011, and since 2019 efforts have been under way to put it on the UNESCO list.

Practical tips

The papermaking workshop is the main attraction — you take home the sheet you make yourself. Also look at the architecture: the timber-framed main building, the all-wooden drying house from the early 17th century, the shingle roof with a Baroque volute gable and the octagonal entrance pavilion. Check opening hours and prices before your visit.

Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój

A mill older than its first mention

Royal papermakers and Chopin

From decline to Monument of History

Practical tips

What to see

Place map

Recommended tours and tickets

Places to stay nearby

Sources and further reading

Nearby attractions

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Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój

About this place

A mill older than its first mention

Royal papermakers and Chopin

From decline to Monument of History

Practical tips

What to see

Place map

Recommended tours and tickets

Places to stay nearby

Sources and further reading

Nearby attractions