I came across this etching from an 1876 atlas depicting the A.W. Faber lead pencil factory in Stein. What’s interesting is that it shows the old stone (stein) bridge—purportedly the origin of the town’s name—which crosses the Rednitz river. That bridge is no longer there, having been long-replaced by the current bridge.
Also, the red arrow is pointing to one of the wheel-houses that protected the water wheels that were in use during the 19th century:
This photo I took last December shows the lead factory, and the red arrow is pointing to what remains of one of those wheel-houses (if I remember correctly, it contains the current hydroelectric equipment). Even today the Rednitz still supplies approximately 20%-25% of the factory’s power:
The building has been renovated and expanded during the past 135+ years, but by comparing the two photos you can see that they still have much in common.
Did you get to tour the place? I love the Fabr-Castell stuff.
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Yes — here are some photos and details: https://contrapuntalism.wordpress.com/the-stein-way-a-visit-to-faber-castell/
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Great observations. Thanks for the post.
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