“Over two centuries of life for the famous brand of pencils”
Mitteleurope, a melting-pot of different cultures to which the world owes recognition for some of the prodigies of human inventiveness, which will never be adequately acclaimed.
Precisely. In order to demonstrate the fact and convince everyone, we would like to start by writing a few notes on the notepad (zàpisnìk, in the Czech language). Only small reflections which slide on: passing from the soft territories of the mind to the much more arduous ones of writing on paper.
No, we are not referring to the computer: too drastic, implacable, it obliges one to stick to dangerous synthesis. Put aside also those boring automatic pens, the fruit of the unlikely genius of an excellent Hungarian, Mr Biro, or the imperial , threatening stylus conceived by herr Pelikan; not to mention the sumptuous Mont Blanc…
No, as the theme is rather ponderous, almost philosophical, to pay homage to Mitteleurope and Bohemia, which is an integral part of it, we would like to go back to the past. To the gestures and instruments of our forefathers.
Rediscovering, with a deliberately reactionary choice, a simple pencil (tuzka, as I believe it is still called today in Prague) made of faultless graphite. At this stage, however, our subject risks getting bogged …
We would like to stop, therefore, exactly where we last point.
The pencil, in fact. The soft, yellow compact Koh-i- noor pencil. To the unaware victims of the I-pod or the e-book and the lap top, as well as other current contraptions, we should like to declare aloud that it has to do with a work of art born in Bohemia, that from here has conquered worldwide acclaim.
The factory in reality had been founded in Vienna in the year of our Lord, 1790, by a somewhat young placid Austrian gentleman, herr Joseph Hardtmuth, known in fact for his jovial nature.
By mixing damp clay with graphite, Josef obtained a mass which could easily be ground and filtered until it became completely free from impurities and was moulded into a stable, fine uniform substance. By properly varying the proportion of components in the mixture, he also obtained various degrees of hardness and just as many writing instruments, able to draw softer or harder lines and, with more or less intensity of black. This gave birth to the ceramic lead. A particular mixture destined to outclass all the pencils produced in nearby Germany and even in the wicked Albion . And the market became aware of it: the number of orders grew and became widespread throughout the Hapsburg empire.
It was a few years later, in 1848, that its heirs had the idea of moving the company from Vienna to Ceske Budejovice, in south Bohemia,
while in Europe the revolutionary scourge was already raging.
And it was right here, in this quiet small beer town that Franz Hardtmuth – nephew of Joseph, the forerunner of what is nowadays termed as “marketing” – once and for all launched this excellence towards international success.
Everything was going well and the Hardmuth pencils sold well from Prague to Vienna and all over Europe.
A little touch was necessary, though, in order to reach the absolute. This “magic touch” or work of art came from the astute Franz.
Next to the austere brand Hardtmuth, Franz thought of something that would give the idea of total perfection. A unique faultless stroke, destined to slide over the documents of all the European chancelleries.
A pencil stroke , in fact, which would glitter like a diamond.
And, thus “Koh –i-noor” came to life. It was the name of a giant Indian diamond which was envied by many ladies from the different European capitals. It means “Mountains of light”.
Well, Koh-i- noor, the modest Franz decided courageously, could be well suited to a masterpiece pencil.
It was the year 1850: “the” brand was born. To distinguish it even further from the more reliable but predictable English or German pencils, which were all either black or brown, here came another intuition: the Koh i noor pencil would become unmistakable for another aspect: its colour.
In the hands of the most humble artisan or the most refined diplomat, the yellow colour of their livery would stand out. There were some who saw in this gesture, a homage to the Hapsburg dynasty.
Thus the yellow Koh-I-Noor pencil was born, which has remained since then, all over the world, a symbol of professional quality in the field of design.
Hardmuth –Koh i Noor soon crossed the frontiers of Central Europe, to become famous from Bohemia, to the entire continent.
Over time, the company grew, with two branches and extended production to pastels, inks and other stationery.
No chance for their rivals: the puffed up Faber Castell, the haughty Caran d’Ache, the stern Staedtler and the likeable Stabilo-Boss trembled and still tremble today before the bright classical elegance of the Koh i noor
Here then, is one of the many cases of ignored “Mitteleuropean excellence” which, in Bohemia, was able to find its world launching pad. Great people, we were saying… in Mitteleurope.
By Ernesto Massimetti