History

The first mentions of paper production in Podkrkonoší Mountains date back to the beginning of the 16th century. Paper production in Hostinné began in 1835, when the brothers Gustav and Vilém Kieslingová founded a highly modern mechanical paper mill for their time in the so-called Labský Mlýn, and subsequently Gustav Roeder and Julius Eichmann established the production of cellulose and paper. From the very beginning, production was oriented towards special types of paper, and the company Eichmann a spol. achieved domestic and international recognition and recognition in this area.

In 1945, based on nationalization decrees, the national enterprise Krkonošské papírny was created with its headquarters in Hostinné. The Eichmann a spol. paper mill in Hostinné became the foundation, and other smaller enterprises in the vicinity were gradually incorporated. The gradual incorporation of other plants resulted in a mammoth enterprise with up to 45 factories.

After the war, the development of paper production in this location slowed down significantly, only partial reconstructions of the paper machines that were already outdated at that time were carried out, and this practically foreshadowed the gradual demise of paper production in the Podkrkonoší Mountains, as it later happened with most of the plants. At that time, the General Directorate of Paper and Pulp preferred to develop production in other locations. In the 1950s, the national enterprise was briefly renamed Papírny Zdeněk Nejedlý.

The turning point was 1979, when construction of a new plant in Hostinné began under the name "Thin Papers Hostinné". In 1984, a new paper machine PS 6 was put into operation, including a new wastewater treatment plant, and at the same time, the operation of the pulp mill, which had been discharging sulphite leachate directly into the Elbe for ninety-nine years, was stopped. In 1986, the second stage of construction was completed - the coating plant. This was preceded by the closure of old inefficient operations – the plants in Čistá, Labský Mlýn and Dobrá Mysl. The necessary concentration and reorganization of production brought further improvement of the environment in the Podkrkonoší Mountains and on the Labe River, where life was restored to the previously dead river within a few years. The joint-stock company

Krkonošské papírny, a.s. was founded in 1992 by the privatization of a former state-owned enterprise. The company managed to build on a broad production program and gain new foreign markets. It became one of the most important companies in the region. In 1996, a new gas cogeneration unit for the production of electricity and steam was put into operation. This had a fundamentally positive impact on the air in Hostinné and the surrounding area.

In 2002, Papírny Brno became part of the group, and in 2005, Plzeňská papírna. In May 2008, the KRPA Group was transformed into KRPA Holding. In recent years, KRPA PAPER has been concentrating on the production of high-quality greaseproof and barrier food and siliconized papers.

The company places maximum demands on the quality and safety of papers for food purposes and on the requirements for reducing the basis weight while maintaining the same application properties. In fulfilling these requirements, long-standing traditions and experience are applied and valued, as well as continuity with the tricks of predecessors. In practice, the vision is thus implemented, the building blocks of which are: QUALITY OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES - CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - PRODUCTIVITY - EMPLOYMENT - ECOLOGY.

Investments in recent years have permanently increased the capacity and quality of production, which has a positive effect on the economy and prospects of paper production in Hostinné, which is the last location in the Krkonoše Mountains where paper is produced.

KRPA PAPER continues the tradition of paper production of the Krkonoše Paper Mills in Hostinné, which has lasted continuously for 190 years.