Brushes were already known in antiquity. Findings in Egypt and Greece proved that brushes were used for cleaning, clothes and hair care even in antiquity. Also, north of the Alps, finds from Roman military camps testify that brushes were used to care for soldiers and horses. Already around the year 1400 brush making was known in Germany (in Nuremberg).

How did this industry come to the deep Black Forest, to Todtnau? In the second half of the 18th century, a certain Josef Thoma in Todtnau ran a grain mill that worked using waterpower. While the carrying, emptying and filling of the sacks was taken over by the stronger sons, the smallest of the boys, Leodegar, was responsible for the cleanliness of the mill, the clothes and the shoes. He found this activity particularly difficult, since there were no brushes or brooms. He pondered about making an appropriate tool that could ease his work. Finally, he came up with the idea to use pig bristles. These had to be held together somehow, so he sawed a wood block into an oblong shape, drilled holes in it and filled them with bundles of bristles which he attached with wooden wedges. And so the first Todtnauer brush was made in 1770!

However, as already mentioned, Leodegar Thoma cannot be seen as the inventor of the brush. In the course of the manufacturing process with material procurement and sales, however, he discovered the division of labor in this industry and was thus superior to other imitators.

From these earliest beginnings, a buoyant and prosperous industry has developed in this area that can still compete with its products on the world market after 250 years. The inauguration of a brush museum in Todtnau, in the year of Interbrush, is to be acknowledged at the beginning of this tremendous development. For several years, a dedicated team of the Kulturhaus Todtnau has been working hard to professionally set up the brush museum with historic machines constructed and built in Todtnau.

The different steps for the production of brushware were shared between brushmakers, conditioners of bristles and wood workers who mainly lived in the villages close to Todtnau. The brush handles were produced on turning machines which were operated by waterpower. The purchase of bristles and hair at home and abroad, such as in France and Switzerland, became a separate branch of trade.

The travelling salesmen played a major role. In the early stages, they only went to Switzerland or the upper Rhine.  At different places, they installed stockholdings in order to sell brushes directly at annual fairs or door-to-door and the first exports to America took place in 1854.

The change from homework to a pre-industrial production in the first factories began. Within these years there were about 1000 people in Todtnau and the surrounding villages busy producing brushes and the necessary brush handles.  An important highlight at that time was the world-exhibition in Vienna in the year 1873: The brushmakers from Todtnau participated in this fair as exhibitors representing the collective brushmakers from the Black Forest.

When in the second half of the 19th century the industrial revolution in Germany was in full operation, there were also first trials regarding the production of brushes by means of brush filling machines. The pioneer in Todtnau who risked the first step towards the industrial production of brushes was by end of the 19th century Oskar Faller who, together with his brothers Eduard and Ernst, managed the company Jos. Ed. Faller which had been founded by his father. They had obtained diverse brush filling machines from abroad, however, they did not know exactly how these worked. So, they engaged a young engineer from former Bohemia: Anton Zahoransky and the industrial revolution was set into motion also in Todtnau.

In addition to the important inventions by Anton Zahoransky, at the same time a completely new material was developed: plastic material. With this, the development took place from homework to industrial production and at least partially from wood to plastic material. In parallel, the trading of brushes expanded substantially: brushes and brushmaking machines from Todtnau were presented worldwide at considerable exhibitions.  Welcome to the industrial era.

For 250 years, the brush making industry has been an essential part of the economic activity in Todtnau and an important support for prosperity today. In Todtnau, several innovative and worldwide operating companies from the brush making industry still exist. The worldwide uniqueness may be the fact that all the exposed machines have been constructed and manufactured by eight machine factories in Todtnau. The worldwide market leader, ZAHORANSKY, still has the main plant in Todtnau. This should be reason enough to tell, to prepare and to save the history of the Todtnau brushmaking industry in a museum.

Those who want to narrate a story need a storyteller. In the brushmaking, museum Lorenz Wunderle takes the part of the storyteller. Originally a brush salesman, in the brushmaking museum he will report by means of modern media the story of the brushes from Todtnau and the processing from manufactory in 1770 to present-day industry.

The association Kulturhaus Todtnau would be happy to welcome you to the newly established brush museum!