Mikov pouch 374

Mikulášovice, still called "Nixdorf" in the 18th century, is undoubtedly the place where the cutlery industry in Bohemia began. This small border town lies in the northernmost point of the Czech Republic. There were many itinerant knife cutters in the area who were noticed by the merchant Ignaz Rösler and employed in his first knife factory.
Initially, the factory employed 100 workers, but by 1819 the number had doubled. The economic success of this factory led other inhabitants to set up other knife-making enterprises and auxiliary trades, and soon most of the citizens of Mikulášovice and the surrounding villages were connected with knife-making. Mikulášovice came to be known as the 'Czech Solingen'.