A guest at FETTETYPEN

Anyone strolling through Hann Münden's old town on a Sunday afternoon and passing the small house at number 9 in Sydekumstraße might wonder where the unusual rattling and ringing coming from inside the house is coming from. "FETTETYPEN" can be read in the window - I wonder what that's all about?
In good weather, the display in front of the open front door provides the first clue. Humorous, curious and lovingly designed postcards and hand-decorated plates suggest that a creative spirit has taken up residence here. If you then dare to take a look inside, you will be rewarded for your curiosity with a rare sight: the cause of the noises is the Korrex proofing press from 1955 or the Boston hand crucible, which is at least a hundred years old. The Korrex press weighs 300 kilos and is the heart of FETTETYPEN. Barbara Brübach, owner of the small printing studio FETTETYPEN in Hann. Münden stands at the press.

„It was a lucky coincidence"

In the small house dating from 1680, the trained goldsmith has fulfilled her dream of having her letterpress workshop. "It was serendipity," Barbara tells me when we meet for tea in her workshop. At a picnic, she happened to meet the owner of the small house, which was built against the historic city wall and where up to nine people lived in times gone by. They quickly agreed and Barbara Brübach incorporated some antiques that were already in the house into her interior.

She has made good use of the working space of just 35 square metres. Since 2015, the artist, who was born in Witzenhausen, Hesse, has been producing unplugged and old school, namely completely without electricity, hand-set postcards, bookmarks, posters and more. Her most recent project was the printing of a CD cover for the Hann. Münden band "More Songs about Sex" in a small edition - limited to 100 pieces.

Printer's jargon

She has always been fascinated by working with type and paper. However, this fascination eventually led her professionally, because Barbara designs sales areas full-time - among other things for bookshops and stationers. In the meantime, Barbara Brübach has made numerous contacts with other printers, typesetters and print lovers, she tells me, as she shows me her considerable collection of wooden and lead type. As I marvel at some of the small letters, which are so delicate that their motifs are barely visible to the naked eye, Barbara explains to me that many terms from printer's jargon can be found in our everyday language. "Landing a dot" or even the expression "getting to the point" refer to the smallest unit of type, the dot at 0.35 mm.  Some of the ornate or quite plain letters that can be found in the numerous drawers of various cupboards at FETTETYPEN are probably already several hundred years old.

Creative mind

Besides printing, Barbara also enjoys painting or decorating granny's antique wall plates with cool motifs or cheeky sayings. In the future, Barbara also wants to offer workshops for small groups. So far, this has simply not been possible in the small workshop. From May onwards, there will be a second room two houses away, at Sydekumstraße 13, where another printing press is already waiting to be used. The workshops are to start at this year's DenkmalKunst Festival, which will take place in Hann Münden from 28 September to 6 October.