Johannes Gutenberg - Moveable Type Printing

Mainz Museum Highlights Inventor's Key-Stroke of Genius

Dec 22, 2008

Gutenberg's moveable-type printing press revolutionized the world of printing and the city of Mainz has a fantastic museum highlighting its famous son's invention.

The life of one of the most influential men in the last millennium is shrouded in mystery. Johannes Gutenberg is the "Father of modern printing" and the inventor of the movable-type printing press, which transformed the printing world and remained the main printing technology until the late 20th century. His birthplace of Mainz in the Rhineland-Palatinate is home to the Gutenberg Museum, a tribute to this noteworthy inventor and the art of printing.

Biography

Johannes Gutenberg, born Henne Gänsefleische zur Laden, came into this world around 1398 -1400 in Mainz, a city in Southern Germany. Evidence shows that he lived in his home town, yet also spent some time in Eltville am Rhein (Alta Villa) and later on in Strasbourg. His life is not well documented and historians trace his actions through the many legal court actions that surrounded him and his persistent lack of funds or attempts to get out of marrying a young woman.

The son of an upper-class merchant and the daughter of a wealthy shopkeeper, Johannes trained as a Goldsmith. Prior to the printing press invention, he was involved in a financial disaster having to do with polished metal mirrors. Due to financial difficulties, his financial backer took over the printing press and production of bibles, so Gutenberg unfortunately never received any credit for his invention during his lifetime. He died on February 3, 1468, but the Franciscan church and graveyard where he was buried were demolished and built over, resulting in the loss of his grave.

The Invention

Between 1436 and 1440, Gutenberg’s printing press with movable/changeable keys was created and then perfected with consistent attention to detail. Drawing on his knowledge of metallurgy, he used metal moulds and alloys, which when formed and cooled made unbendable and unbreakable letters. He employed a special wooden press, similar to wine presses and screw-olive presses that were in use at the time, used oil-based inks, and then printed the letters onto vellum, parchment, or paper.

The individual letters were made in various sizes and shapes and when put together resulted in a uniform printing of lines, with the possibility of interchanging the letters and words. The invention was an immeasurable improvement on wood-block printing or handwritten manuscripts, allowing for the mass-production of printed works. The revolution quickly spread across Europe, even having a marked influence in the Renaissance movement.

The Gutenberg Bible and Indulgences

September 30, 1452, the Gutenberg Bible was published; the first book to be published in volume. The Bible was also called the 42-line Bible as that is precisely how many lines there were per page, or even the Mazarin Bible as the first one was found amongst Cardinal Mazarin's belongings. The printing was done in Latin, in black, and an illuminator (illustrator) added colourful and creative designs in the margins after the initial printing. 48 copies are known to be in existence today.

Gutenberg also printed “Indulgences”, so called notes from the Pope that were sold by the Catholic Church to Christians to admonish sins committed in life for remittance in purgatory. Evidence suggests these were mass printed before the Bible project. These slips of paper were sold for a healthy sum, of course, and only wealthy believers could benefit from them.

The Gutenberg Museum

Founded in 1900, the museum started as an extension of the library and its collection included books, printing apparatus, and machines, donated from publishers, printing press manufacturers, and printing houses. The permanent and temporary exhibits describe the evolution of 500 years of printing and there is a special room housing volumes of the famed Gutenberg Bible. In 1925, a reproduction his printing press was installed and instantly became a major draw for visitors, experts, and aficionados. The replica was built based on 15th and 16th century woodcuts and allowed visitors to see the printing press in action.

The Gutenberg Museum Mainz is a must for visitors to Mainz and highlights the history of printing, as well as a functioning replica of Gutenberg's revolutionary moveable-type printing press.

The copyright of the article Johannes Gutenberg - Moveable Type Printing in Germany Travel is owned by Tina Lynch. Permission to republish Johannes Gutenberg - Moveable Type Printing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.