Toscolano Maderno, June 5, 2009
Inauguration of the “Cartiera di Toscolano” room at the Valley of the Paper Mills Museum in Toscolano Maderno (BS)
Paper has been made in Toscolano for centuries: as early as the 14th century there were already numerous mills in what was then known as the “valley of the paper mills”.
When it bought the plant in 1989, and the valley with it, the Marchi Group donated the latter to the community; the valley of the paper mills is now part of the Alto Garda Bresciano Park, created by the Lombardy Regional government.
At 11 am on Friday June 5, the “Cartiera di Toscolano” room at the Valley of the Paper Mills Museum was inaugurated; it was created by the Burgo Group, and traces the history of the paper mill from the early 20th century to the present day.
The “Cartiera di Toscolano” room is divided into two areas.
The first tells the story of the paper mill, beginning in 1906 when the lakeshore plant was built, prompted by the growth of paper output and by obvious logistic advantages and, in parallel, stories of the families of entrepreneurs who have owned it over the years, the Maffizzoli, Donzelli and Gilberti, Fabbri, Bonelli and Marchi families.
Two video screens positioned at the centre of this area present the paper mill today, from the manufacturing process to respect for the environment and there is also an interesting collection of historical documents, put together with the collaboration of the Association of Senior Workers of the Cartiera di Toscolano.
The second area is dedicated to the Burgo Group, and opens with a short biography of the founder, Luigi Burgo; it traces the company’s history up to the merger of the Burgo and Marchi companies and the creation of the Burgo Group, the largest Italian paper company and one of the largest in Europe.
A couple of panels illustrate the attention that the Group has always dedicated to the protection of the environment and to technological innovation, with a video presentation of the Group’s top-flight plant in Verzuolo, and the regard for the architectural aspects of all the buildings. A final panel indicates the markets where the Burgo Group is represented today.
At the centre, visitors’ attention is captured by the “Arbizzoni” press, built in the second half of the 19th century, and used originally by the Mint in Turin to print stamps, and later by the Giovanelli family of printers in Toscolano.
Some of the many current uses of Burgo paper are illustrated in a display case between the two areas; they include magazines, books, shopping bags, food packaging, playing cards and the famous Pirelli calendar.
And finally, there is a magnificent wooden model (the gift of the brothers Gino and Carlo Sinibaldi of Toscolano Maderno) of the Lina tug, which was used in the 1920s on Lake Garda to tow the boats that transported raw materials and finished products.