History
one of the oldest coloured paper mill in Germany – 200 years at a glance

1820
Company founder Ludwig Bähr appears for the first time as “Negociant” (wholesaler) for short and woollen goods in the Kurhessisches Staats- und Handadressbuch. The company is located at Kasseler Marktgasse No. 17, a neighbouring house of the Brothers Grimm.

1820 Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr Gebäude

1872
New construction and commissioning of the coloured paper mill in Sandershäuser Straße. The papers produced are mainly exported to France and England. The haberdashery in Marktgasse is sold.

1901 Christian Barthel Senior Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr

Christian Barthel (Senior) *1887 , †1944

1901
Sale of the company to Heinrich Barthel, then authorised signatory.

1922-1923
With a workforce of around 90 employees, production continues to be carried out for the main export countries England and France: Bähr products even reach China via Hamburg exporters.

1922-1923 Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr

1928
For the first time, the Ludwig Bähr colored paper mill brings colored poster board to the market. At that time an absolute innovation and a permanent fixture in the booming advertising market. In addition, glacé, glossy, chromo, gold and silver papers as well as ingrain fibre papers are produced and sold in large quantities.

1928 Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr

1933
The URSUS® trademark, which still exists today, is registered at the Reich Patent Office.

1943-1944
The factory is completely destroyed by bomb attacks. The help of colleagues from the emery works C.F. Schröder in nearby Hann. Münden enables a new start for the coloured paper mill with its own personnel in foreign premises. Thus a small customer base can be built up, which is the basis for the reconstruction of the factory.

1979
Dipl.-Kfm. Frank Barthel joins the company as owner and managing director.

1985
The constantly growing range of articles enjoys great popularity. The URSUS® brand is also well established internationally.

1995
The medium-sized family business is now managed by over 115 employees. In addition to regular investments in productivity, raw material and finished goods warehouses are designed according to the latest logistical requirements. Order processing, picking, packaging and dispatch now go hand in hand.

2001-2002
In addition to product innovations, the Bähr paper mill relies on more efficient methods of customer communication: data exchange via EDI, article disks and an image database are available to customers.

2003
Successful introduction of the elegant and noble product line INSPIRATION to reach other target groups besides the conventional craft fan.

2004
The product range increasingly includes high-quality specialty papers and scrapbook papers. Current design trends can be perfectly implemented with URSUS® materials.

Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr - URSUS® Gebäude

2010
The Ludwig Bähr coloured paper mill celebrates its 190th anniversary.

2010/11
With the products “World of Colours” and “Paper Balls” new trends are successfully set.

2015/16
The investments in a perforating machine and in a large and small laser machine enable the colored paper mill to finish the paper over a large area with individual engravings and filigree laser cuts. In order to continue to make room for the growing variety of products, Buntpapierfabrik rents a new 6,000 m² warehouse in the Kassel-Waldau district.

2017
In order to guarantee perfect quality and contribute to the preservation and protection of the planet, the coloured paper mill is increasingly using FSC-certified materials. The FSC certificate (Forest Stewardship Council) stands for sustainable forestry.

The coloured paper mill is also a member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). All members of the BSCI commit themselves to adhere to the BSCI Code of Conduct in order to guarantee and improve social standards during the manufacture of a product.

2018
First participation at the Insights-X trade fair in Nuremberg.

2019
First participation at the consumer fair CREATIVA in Dortmund.

2020
Participation at the creativeworld 2020 Frankfurt.

creativeworld 2020 Frankfurt

2020
The Ludwig Bähr coloured paper mill celebrates its 200th anniversary.