Solingen is back!
Solingen is back!
Solingen is worldrenowned when it comes to blades, but it has never managed to organise a joint event with the artisanal knife makers, the knife making industry and the blade museum. Until now. Next year will be the first edition of the new Solingen Blade Fair, named: ‘Knife 2020’.
Text: Bas Martens
For many years, the yearly spring exhibition of the German Knife Makers Guild in Solingen has been a favourite among knife-lovers. The two-day show has always drawn a large audience and features some attractive side shows. But there were problems. Stricter safety regulations made the German Blade Museum a less convenient place for the show. With almost 100 exhibitors and ca. 2000 visitors the museum was filled to the brim. The museum itself preferred to invest its time on a major rearrangement of the permanent exhibition. In 2017, the two-day show became a one-day show, last year there was a four-day event called Solingen Knife Days, but then it stopped altogether.
Of course, this came as a big disappointment. But now there is some good news too, Solingen will be back, bigger and better than before. May 9 and 10, 2020, will see the first edition of a new event: “Knife 2020. The Solingen Blade Fair”.
Text: Bas Martens
For many years, the yearly spring exhibition of the German Knife Makers Guild in Solingen has been a favourite among knife-lovers. The two-day show has always drawn a large audience and features some attractive side shows. But there were problems. Stricter safety regulations made the German Blade Museum a less convenient place for the show. With almost 100 exhibitors and ca. 2000 visitors the museum was filled to the brim. The museum itself preferred to invest its time on a major rearrangement of the permanent exhibition. In 2017, the two-day show became a one-day show, last year there was a four-day event called Solingen Knife Days, but then it stopped altogether.
Of course, this came as a big disappointment. But now there is some good news too, Solingen will be back, bigger and better than before. May 9 and 10, 2020, will see the first edition of a new event: “Knife 2020. The Solingen Blade Fair”.
The representatives of all parties involved in the new Knife 2020 Solingen Blade Fair. From left to right:
Thomas Hauschild (Deutsche Messermacher Gilde), Dr. Sixt Wetzler (Deputy Director of the Deutsches Klingenmuseum), Joachim Radtke (Solingen Citymarketing), Nadja Alhaus (Director of B.Effective Event & Marketingservices), Dr. Isabel Immel (Director of the Deutsches Klingenmuseum), economist Jens-Heinrich Beckmann (Director of the Industrieverband Schneid- und Haushaltswaren) and Dagmar Becker, Alderman
of the city of Solingen.
To make this happen, all parties have joined forces. The participants are the Deutsche Messermacher Gilde, the Deutsches Klingenmuseum, the Solingen city council and the Solingen blade industry. They have found a new venue, the spacious Solingen Theatre and Concert Hall, and they have found a professional organiser, B.Effective from Cologne.
The heart of the show will be hand-made knives by renowned international knife makers, both members of the German guild and others. There are already some 60 particpants who have signed up, but the organisation is assuring everybody that there is space for plenty more. There will be a special rate for beginning knife makers under the age of 24. And there will be a presentation by several Solingen knife companies. Other program parts are still under consideration.
All this, of course, makes us very curious. As May 2020 nears, we will provide updates. In the meantime, all information, including registration forms, can be found on the Knife 2020 website, both in German and English. The English version can be found at https://www.knife-solingen.de/home.
The heart of the show will be hand-made knives by renowned international knife makers, both members of the German guild and others. There are already some 60 particpants who have signed up, but the organisation is assuring everybody that there is space for plenty more. There will be a special rate for beginning knife makers under the age of 24. And there will be a presentation by several Solingen knife companies. Other program parts are still under consideration.
All this, of course, makes us very curious. As May 2020 nears, we will provide updates. In the meantime, all information, including registration forms, can be found on the Knife 2020 website, both in German and English. The English version can be found at https://www.knife-solingen.de/home.