I have a biz trip in may that will take me less than a half hour train ride to solingen.
Anyone ever been and could share their experience exploring the city of knives?
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I have a biz trip in may that will take me less than a half hour train ride to solingen.
Anyone ever been and could share their experience exploring the city of knives?
Never, but what i heard you dont have easy entree to a razor factory.
Never have been there, but what a nice opportunity! Indeed, Check with Thomas at Revisor in advance. Seems a nice fellow and is a vendor/member here.
Perhaps a tour could be arranged? Post some pics of what you see in Solingen!
Not there but Munich, Garmish, and Fussen. To my surprise I seen little to no razors. I did pick up a straight razor in Salzburg Austria. I was thinking it would be shave heaven over there; NOT! Everything over there is expensive too so be prepared!
There are a few museums in Solingen that celebrate the metalworking history of the town that dates back to the 13th century.
Most are all small museums that hark back to the days of water-powered drop forges and they may not be open all day, or even every day of the week, and it is advisable to inquire before.
The production of razors was only one small aspect of metalworking in the region and Solingen is better known for the production of scissors and knives.
One of the historical forges that is now a working museum:
http://www.erih.net/nc/anchor-points...owUid%5D=15265
As far as razors are concerned, I am not aware of any of the current manufacturers offering guided tours without prior arrangement and Dovo/Merkur do not appear to sell to walk-in customers.
It used to be possible to make a prior appointments with Wacker to drop by, buy some razors and possibly take a quick look, but keep in mind both Herr Wacker and Ralf Aust run workshops where they work hands-on and may not have the time for a lengthy chat.
Wacker Rasiermesser
Heribert Wacker
Kasinostr. 84
42651 Solingen
Tel. +49 (0) 212 / 289 588 86
Ralf Aust
Rasiermesser Manufaktur
Brockenberg 6
42657 Solingen
Phone: +49 15229746873
E-mail: post@rasiermesser-manufaktur.de
Value Added Tax (VAT) is 19% and you could inquire whether Wacker or Aust may be able to refund the VAT ("Mehrwertsteuer") if you have German Customs at the airport stamp the invoice after presentation of the goods when you leave the country.
(When I buy directly from Ralf Aust, I usually pay by PayPal and ask him to send the razor(s) to me by mail. Since the address is outside the EU, he does not need to charge the 19% VAT, but you may need to remind him.)
Lastly, shaving with a straight razor is not very common in Germany and just because it happens to be Solingen, don't expect main street to be littered with shops selling straight razors.
From what I have gleaned from German shaving websites, the picture in Solingen is rather bleak in that respect and - like in the US - shavers in Germany find a handful of specialized shops in bigger cities or purchase their razors on-line.
Good luck.
B
I went to Germany two years ago and requested a tour of Dovo, but they wouldn't grant my request.Quote:
Originally Posted by hillbillyreverend
Most cities in the area, underwent major redevelopment about 70 years ago. In the case of Solingen, 94% of the city centre were razed in November 1944. Accordingly, the city looks like a dump. There are only a handful of buildings actually worth looking at left, including parts of Zwillingswerk, which also has a knife(!) outlet.
And that's it, really. There is only one drop forge left. I was lucky to be given a tour, but I was with a razor maker.
The Klingenmuseum is very nice, but only has about a dozen razors on display. Then again, razors were not a big thing in Solingen, despite their dominating position in the razor market. Swords, cutlery, and scissors, however, can also be very interesting, and the museum has hundreds of them.
Dovo... if you like looking at CNC robots, it's certainly the place to be.
As a Machinist,I love CNC robots:)