Robert Sputh - inventor of the beer mat
In the center of Mittelndorf, the members of the Mittelndorf Spring Festival Association have transformed the vaulted cellar rooms of the former inn into a very special exhibition space.
The focus is on the former paper mill - known to the locals as the Sputh Mill - which is historically significant for the village but is increasingly falling into disrepair, and its founder Robert Sputh, who is regarded as the inventor of today's beer mat.
The paper mill in question was located in the Sebnitz valley in Mittelndorf. On the Bautzen-Bad Schandau railroad line, Sputh built a water-powered groundwood mill near Mittelndorf in the Sebnitz Valley from 1882. The factory had its own railway siding and was popularly known as the Sputh mill. The first customer for the groundwood pulp produced was the Sebnitz paper factory. The Sputh mill was an employer for many inhabitants of Mittelndorf for decades.
It was also here that Robert Sputh invented the first beer mat using the groundwood process - more out of necessity than anything else. As a result of an overproduction crisis in the wood pulp industry in 1890/91, he looked for new uses for groundwood products. In 1892, he patented a "process for the production of wood felt boards or wood felt coasters", which were used as beer coasters. From then on, the new absorbent coasters made of wood pulp replaced the felt coasters previously used in the catering trade.
The factory burnt down in 1937 and is unfortunately only a ruin today.
With the exhibition, a piece of local history has now been preserved and brought to life. The people of Mittelndorf have created this exhibition with great attention to detail and look forward to your visit every Saturday from 13:00 to 17:00!
The focus is on the former paper mill - known to the locals as the Sputh Mill - which is historically significant for the village but is increasingly falling into disrepair, and its founder Robert Sputh, who is regarded as the inventor of today's beer mat.
The paper mill in question was located in the Sebnitz valley in Mittelndorf. On the Bautzen-Bad Schandau railroad line, Sputh built a water-powered groundwood mill near Mittelndorf in the Sebnitz Valley from 1882. The factory had its own railway siding and was popularly known as the Sputh mill. The first customer for the groundwood pulp produced was the Sebnitz paper factory. The Sputh mill was an employer for many inhabitants of Mittelndorf for decades.
It was also here that Robert Sputh invented the first beer mat using the groundwood process - more out of necessity than anything else. As a result of an overproduction crisis in the wood pulp industry in 1890/91, he looked for new uses for groundwood products. In 1892, he patented a "process for the production of wood felt boards or wood felt coasters", which were used as beer coasters. From then on, the new absorbent coasters made of wood pulp replaced the felt coasters previously used in the catering trade.
The factory burnt down in 1937 and is unfortunately only a ruin today.
With the exhibition, a piece of local history has now been preserved and brought to life. The people of Mittelndorf have created this exhibition with great attention to detail and look forward to your visit every Saturday from 13:00 to 17:00!
