The Paper Mill Collection contains various objects that testify to the long history of the Rijeka Paper Mill – one of the longest-lived factories in Croatia. Paper production in Rijeka began in 1821, when Rijeka entrepreneur Andrija Ljudevit Adamić bought the Lučica mill on the left bank of the Rječina and converted it into a paper mill. In 1827, the mill became the property of Walter Crafton Smith and Charles Meynier, who built a modern factory complex and raised the production to an industrial level. The Factory had kept their name until after the Second World War, when it became publicly owned.
Technological innovations and product quality of the Factory were awarded many times at domestic and foreign industrial exhibitions and Rijeka paper was world-famous for its top quality. It was exported to all continents, to fifty countries of the world. After almost 180 years of uninterrupted activity, overcoming wars, floods, fires and economic crises, the Paper Mill went bankrupt in 2000.
The collection contains items such as the factory products – writing and drawing paper, wrapping and cigarette papers, catalogues of various types of paper and advertisements presenting the factory on the market, items used in production and business operation, documentation and photographs of the Factory and its employees.
Collection manager: Rafaela Ban