Historic Printing Shop
Historische Druckerstube · Andreas Metschke
From:
Wittenberg, Germany
ABOVE: Master printer Andreas Metschke talks to
visitors in one of his 17 languages.
By Durant Imboden
 The
printing press may have been as important to the Reformation as church leaders
like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli: Thanks to the invention of Gutenberg's
movable type in 1450,
inexpensive Bibles found their way into the hands of lay readers, and the
Luther Bible (which is
credited with standardizing the modern German language) "empowered and liberated
all Protestants who had access to it."
 Today, visitors to Wittenberg can see Luther-era printing
in action at the Historische Druckerstube,
or Historic Printing Shop, where master printer Andreas Metsche greets visitors
in German, English, and 15 other languages (including Swahili). Herr Metschke is
a lively, entertaining fellow who'll usually stop work to explain what he's
doing and demonstrate how he makes cards, prints, and other items on an antique
letterpress. (You can click the image at left for a larger sample of Herr
Metschke's work.)
 The
workshop's hand-printed notecards are for sale, and prices are reasonable. Look
for the Historic Printing Shop in the
Cranach Courtyards at Schlossstrasse 1, where you'll also find an historic
pharmacy, an art school, and a hostel for art students.
Contact information and business
hours:
Historische Druckerstube
Proprietor: Andreas Metschke
Schlossstrasse 1
06886 Lutherstadt
Wittenberg, Germany
E-mail: hist.druckerstube (at) aol.com
Monday to
Friday: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 12 a.m. and by
appointment
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