J. S. Staedtler founds his pencil company in Nuremberg

Background. The origins of the Staedtler brand can be traced to the 17th century, when Friedrich Staedtler took over the full pencil manufacturing process, from the lead to the wood. In 1662, references to Friedrich Staedtler as a pencil-making craftsman were made in the city annals of Nuremberg, where the company was later founded.

Founding. The company was founded by Johann Sebastian Staedtler in 1835 as a pencil factory in Nuremberg. Staedtler SE is a German multinational stationery manufacturing company based in Nuremberg, the second-largest city in Bavaria and the largest city in the cultural region of Franconia.

Legacy. Staedtler's work eventually helped to abolish the regulation requiring pencil manufacturing to be split between two different experts, thereby facilitating the work of other pencil manufacturers in Nuremberg. Staedtler claims to be the largest European manufacturer of wood-cased pencils, overhead projector pens, mechanical pencils, leads, erasers, and modelling clays.

Historical Context. Nuremberg was a significant cultural and industrial center in Franconia. In 1835, the same year the company was founded, the first German railway, the Bavarian Ludwigsbahn, opened between Nuremberg and Fürth, highlighting the city's growing connectivity.