Die schwarze und die weiße Kunst. Führung zum Wave-Gotik-Treffen

From the Schöfferhof to the high-speed press: Peter Kühne explains and demonstrates the basic elements of letterpress printing for interested parties and guests at this year's Wave-Gotik-Treffen. He slips into the role of Peter Schöffer, a historical companion of Johannes Gutenberg, who developed letterpress printing in the mid-15th century. Visitors can experience the hand casting instrument, angle hook and typesetting ship in action. The outstanding progress of Gutenberg's printing with movable type becomes clear in the vivid comparison with the effort involved in block printing or even handwriting. A look into the future shows the effects of the groundbreaking invention up to the high-speed press in the 19th century.

Meeting point: Permanent exhibition, German Book and Type Museum of the German National Library in Leipzig.