Calendar

Although we sometimes speak of 'paper factories' in Turnhout, no paper was ever made there. It was brought in and processed into playing cards, but also into glossy and fancy paper. In the production of fancy paper, no printing press was involved, but a calender was used instead. Card decks went through the calender to give them a glossy finish.

A calender is a machine consisting of a number of cylinders that are arranged horizontally above each other and can rotate at different speeds. In this context, calendering serves to improve or 'refine' paper. The glossy calender, in turn, provides a shiny effect through heat, pressure, and friction.

The glossy calender “D 230” was built by the Maschinenfabrik zum Bruderhaus/Eisengießerei und Maschinenfabrik in Reutlingen (Stuttgart). Originally, it was located at Biermans, a Turnhout company that produced the typical range of printed materials, playing cards, fancy paper, and cardboard. It is not known whether it was built for this company in 1895 or purchased later. However, the machine remained in use until 1995!

Afterwards, the machine was scrapped. Iron trader Marcel Bally acquired the colossus, disassembled it, and stored it. Thanks to his good care and his friendship with Karel van Mierlo, a machinery enthusiast, the glossy calender was given a second life at Jacobsmarkt. At the initiative of notary André Nijs and with the help of two Turnhout service clubs, Lions and Kiwanis, the calender was officially handed over as a monument to the City of Turnhout on Sunday, February 3, 2013. It symbolizes the entire Turnhout graphic industry with its various printing and paper processing companies.

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