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SOLINGEN - CITY in Germany
Germany is known best for its cars, beers and cutlery all over the world. German
industrial innovation takes pride in precision and the preservation of a tradition --- that of excellent skills honed by time, and the diligence in pursuing higher standards when it comes to manufacturing.
Solingen, a city in Germany, received
the rights of citihood in the year 1374. It is located around 50 kilometers away from the old capital Bonn, in the west, with an estimated 175,000 inhabitants.
THE RULE OF “Solingen”
The name “Solingen” is the only one city all over the world, which is saved by the Law: it means, only Cutlery which are completely produced in Solingen can be marked with the name “Solingen”. The sense was to save the high quality and Standard of Solingen. One of the many conditions is for example, the minimum of hardness of the blades must be 50 Rockwell (means long sharpness).
Before, blades and swords were produced in the city of Solingen by using water power. The river “Wupper” and many small brooks are located in Solingen. The fast development of blade and
sword manufacturing which later on included knives and cutlery can be attributed to its location, it being close to the Metropole of Trade --- Cologne, with a distance of approximately 25 kilometers. The first
delivery of bladed products to Cologne took place in the 13th century.
Other factors which contributed to the so-called boon of the bladed business in Solingen are the following: many forests surround it which makes it rich in charcoal for manufacturing steel, and it has quite a number of iron-ore minings. Specialists of this trade have been working doubly hard to improve the quality of their products, expanding it from cutlery to manicure and pedicure instruments. The adopted “step by step” method resulted in high quality of cutlery products.
During the  Rennaisance period, modification of simple machines into handier products helped man of great deal in the completion of his tasks. It was in 1857
when the use of steam engines became of additional help to water power. In the beginning of the following century, the industry surged into fast and big growth such as an experienced 60%
requirement of all exports in the cutlery industry to be made from Solingen.
QUITE A DEMAND INDEED !
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