Fountain pen stories about a queen and Anne Frank

The former fire station of the volunteer fire brigade in the Old Town Hall in Heidelberg-Handschuhsheim is only 46 square metres in size. Pushing its door open from the entrance in Mittlere Kirchgasse alleyway, you enter a world of fountain pens in a museum full of fantastic stories.

The guest book alone tells 1,000 stories. It is filled with texts and poems in many languages. Asian, Arabic and Russian characters alternate with small, enthusiastic messages in children’s handwriting. They are all written with the many fountain pens with which Thomas Neureither provides his guests. Writing is expressly encouraged in his museum in Heidelberg. Visitors can try out many of the pieces on display. The ingenious physics behind the leak-proof nibs are explained on oversized models at the amazement of the visitors. Sharpened bird feathers are dipped into imaginatively shaped, beautifully lacquered inkwells.

The museum attracts visitors of all ages and from all over the world. World-famous author Bernhard Schlink visited it once, too. Thomas, who founded the museum, stands at the centre of the collection. A Handschuhsheim neighbourhood association made the hall—specially renovated for this purpose—available to him in 2016. Since then, he has been displaying his private, extraordinary collection in his “Fülli” museum. It is an inexhaustible treasure trove of fountain pens, quills, ink bottles and barrels, a fully preserved workshop with tools, lathes and a guilloche machine for manufacturing and repairing fountain pens, as well as comprehensive, practically complete documentation about the around 40 former factories in the Heidelberg region, which used to be a centre of European fountain pen and nib production for decades.

Thomas has countless stories to tell. About the Perkeo fountain pen model, for example, which owes its name to its counterpart in Heidelberg Castle. “Both items have a huge filling capacity,” whereas the small black “war pens” made of cheap material, which were produced during the second world war due to a shortage of raw materials, are somewhat depressing. The story of Anne Frank’s lost fountain pen dates from then. An entry in her diary is revealing: “My fountain pen was always a precious possession.” She was never able to find out how it disappeared. After the war, very special pens with names such as Elégance or Monterosa were created, with virtually no limit to colours and patterns. The smallest model is a telescopic dip pen for women’s handbags, just a few centimetres long and decorated with floral engravings. Another tiny, brightly coloured women’s fountain pen used to be sold in a box together with a small purple inkwell.

Other models look rather clunky and are heavy to hold. A short, handy sports fountain pen model with a badge and a leather case was produced especially for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. “I would love to present this model to Queen Silvia of Sweden when she comes round.” Born in Heidelberg, she met her husband, the king, at this event. Thomas can also comment on the writing culture of American presidents. Barack Obama, for example, signed important documents with fountain pens that he had auctioned off for charity afterwards.

No matter how valuable, rare or old the exhibits are—for Thomas they remain everyday objects and can be used

Thomas particularly enjoys piquing the interest of school classes for the history of writing with a specially compiled programme. He slips into the costume of a Stone Age man or a Roman and demonstrates how colour and antique writing instruments were made. His sister Ulrike Falk, a former teacher, supports him in this programme. Young visitors in particular appreciate that—no matter how valuable, rare or old the exhibits are—for Thomas they remain everyday objects and can be used. Tables and an old school desk with an integrated inkwell are ready for this purpose.

Probably the most valuable item for collectors is a decorative ink bottle shaped like a penguin. For Thomas, however, items are of particular value if they contribute another piece of the puzzle to documenting the history of fountain pens as completely as possible. He visits flea markets and buys photos, documents, original patents and promotional items that document the importance of fountain pen and nib production in Heidelberg and the manufacturers from Heidelberg and the region; such as Luxor, Faber Castell, Kaweco or Lamy. Some exhibits came from estates or archives—everything on a sound, scientific basis—and some are from his own family. Both his grandfather Valentin and his father worked for the Heidelberg based Kaweco company, the largest fountain pen factory in Europe at the beginning of the 20^th century employing around 1,200 people and, in their own words, producing the “best fountain pens in the world.”

Thomas’ grandfather set up his own business after the company went bankrupt in 1929, as you can read in a letter of recommendation issued to potential customers. Original machines from his workshop have been preserved and can also be seen in the museum. They are fully functional. “I could use them to produce, emboss and repair fountain pens at any time.”

Thomas uses a fountain pen himself, of course. He always carries his Pelikan M 250 in dark blue with a gold nib from the 1980s with him. After all, fountain pens are very much in keeping with the times. Sustainability matters for the globally recognised expert. He presents convenient refill systems as an alternative to disposable plastic cartridges. In any case: “Fountain pens last for generations.”

www.fuellhaltermuseum.de

The fountain pen museum at Dossenheimer Landstraße 5 in Heidelberg-Handschuhsheim is open from 3 to 5 pm every second and fourth Sunday of the month, and by prior arrangement. Admission is free. For events for pupils in grades two to four, there is a charge of one euro per child for materials.

The museum is fully accessible (use entrance in Mittlere Kirchgasse alleyway).