Join us on a journey back to a time when books, newspapers, posters and other printed materials were produced by hand and mechanical processes – before digital methods and offset printing took over. We present and demonstrate letterpress printing, lithography, woodcut and intaglio, techniques that were once used industrially and formed the foundation for the production and distribution of printed matter in Norway during the 19th and 20th centuries.

In small and large printing houses, lead type was set by hand, lithographic stones were carefully prepared, woodcuts were carved, and intaglio plates were engraved with precision – processes requiring both professional knowledge and technical skill. Visitors will see the entire workflow in practice, learn about tools, materials and machinery, and try selected techniques themselves under guidance.

The event takes place at Landeskogen Sanatorium, Norway’s first state-owned tuberculosis hospital. Today the building houses Landeskogen Kunstsanatorium, giving the site new life through artistic and cultural activities. The sanatorium is an important cultural monument in Norwegian health and social history and has itself been at risk of being lost when demolition was proposed.

In this way, two forms of cultural heritage are brought together: traditional printing techniques that have been replaced by digital production methods and offset printing, and a historic institution that has also faced the threat of disappearance. The event offers an encounter with both living craftsmanship and a historic building, demonstrating why preservation, continued practice and adaptive reuse are essential to safeguarding our shared history.

The event is open to everyone with an interest in craftsmanship, technological history and cultural heritage – from school pupils and students to professionals and the general public.