About Leuchtturm1917
Overview
Leuchtturm1917 is a German premium stationery brand recognized for its notebooks, journals, planners, writing instruments, and organizational accessories. The brand operates as part of the family-owned LEUCHTTURM Gruppe, a company with corporate heritage dating back to 1917. Leuchtturm1917 combines traditional bookmaking expertise with minimalist design, functional details, and a distinctive color palette.
The name Leuchtturm translates to “lighthouse” in German, reflecting the company’s northern German Hanseatic roots, while 1917 marks the year the company’s history began. Although the modern Leuchtturm1917 stationery brand was launched in 2005, its lineage extends over a century.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Brand name | Leuchtturm1917 |
| Industry | Stationery, writing instruments, paper goods |
| Origin | Germany |
| Heritage founded | 1917 |
| Modern stationery brand | 2005 |
| Parent company | LEUCHTTURM Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG |
| Headquarters | Geesthacht, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Company type | Family-owned |
| Current generation | Fourth generation |
| Key owners/managers | Axel Stürken and Max Stürken |
| Core products | Notebooks, journals, planners, pens, and accessories |
| Brand philosophy | “Thinking with the hand” |
| International presence | Available in more than 80 countries |
The group employs approximately 500 people across five sites, with more than 300 based at its German headquarters. Leuchtturm1917 products are distributed in over 80 countries.
1917: The beginning
The company’s origins trace back to 1917 in Aschersleben, in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Paul Koch, a lithographer and experienced philatelist, co-founded a publishing business known as KABE (an abbreviation derived from Koch und Bein). The company primarily produced stamp albums and other collector materials. This establishes that Leuchtturm1917 did not originally begin as a notebook manufacturer, but rather specialized in the production of albums for collectors.
1930s: The first major change
During the 1930s, Paul Koch was forced to sell his original company due to financial reasons. The KABE business continued under different ownership during this period.
1948: LEUCHTTURM is established
Following World War II, Paul Koch founded a new company in Hamburg in 1948, named the Leuchtturm Albenverlag. Similar to his earlier venture, this company focused on albums, particularly those for stamp collectors.
Two key dates define the company’s historical timeline:
- 1917: The start of Paul Koch’s publishing enterprise and the root of the group’s history.
- 1948: The founding of the Leuchtturm publishing company in Hamburg.
1950s–1970s: Expansion
In 1956, the company relocated its headquarters to Geesthacht, near Hamburg. In 1959, Hamburg businessman Wolfgang Schön became managing partner, initiating a period of organizational restructuring.
Kurt Stürken joined the business in 1962 and worked with Schön to develop export activities. Stürken became a shareholder and partner in 1972, marking the beginning of the Stürken family’s central role in the company’s development.
1997: KABE and LEUCHTTURM reunited
A significant milestone occurred in 1997 when LEUCHTTURM acquired KABE, reuniting the two publishing businesses originally connected to Paul Koch. That same year, Axel Stürken became managing partner.
2003: Max Stürken joins management
Max Stürken, son of Kurt Stürken, became managing partner in 2003, joining Axel in leading the family business.
2005: Birth of Leuchtturm1917
The most pivotal date for the modern stationery brand is 2005. According to the LEUCHTTURM Gruppe’s history, Philip Döbler joined the company in 2005 and developed the Leuchtturm1917 stationery brand. This transition marked the company’s evolution from a producer of collector albums to a major player in the premium stationery market.
Meaning of the name
The name Leuchtturm1917 is deliberately historical. “Leuchtturm” means “lighthouse” in German, symbolizing the company’s northern German/Hanseatic heritage. The number 1917 represents the year the company’s history began. Conceptually, the name signifies a modern brand carrying the heritage of a company founded in 1917, emphasizing historical roots rather than an invented contemporary identity.
“Thinking with the hand”
A defining idea behind Leuchtturm1917 is its philosophy of “Thinking with the hand.” 1 The company posits that handwriting is more than just recording information; it allows thoughts to develop into words, images, ideas, projects, and memories. Consequently, products are marketed not merely as “things for writing,” but as tools for thinking, recording, organizing, creating, and remembering.
Design philosophy
Leuchtturm1917’s design is characterized as minimalist, functional, and systematic. The company emphasizes three main characteristics:
- Function: Features such as numbered pages, indexes, page markers, and pockets make the notebook useful as an organizational system.
- Design: The visual language is clean and restrained, avoiding excessive decoration.
- Color: Color is a recognizable brand trait, with notebooks offered in a broad range to allow users to integrate color into their personal organization systems or identity.
Known for
Leuchtturm1917 is particularly famous for hardcover notebooks and journals featuring:
- Minimalist appearance
- High-quality paper
- Numbered pages
- Table of contents
- Page markers
- Elastic closure
- Expandable back pocket
- Perforated pages
- Label stickers
- Large color selection
The current paper is generally 80–100 g/m² FSC-certified, with a slightly chamois-colored tone. 3
The Classic Notebook
The Classic Notebook is arguably the product most strongly associated with Leuchtturm1917. Its design philosophy differs from simple school notebooks; instead, it is designed as a long-term system for capturing and organizing information. Typical features include numbered pages, blank contents/index pages, two ribbon page markers, elastic closure, expandable pocket, perforated detachable pages, a sticker set for labeling, thread binding, and paper designed to allow the notebook to open flat. 3
This attention to small organizational features reflects the company’s view that a notebook is an information-management tool rather than merely paper bound between covers.
Product Range
While notebooks remain the core, the product portfolio has expanded to include:
- Journals
- Planners
- Calendars
- Writing instruments and pens
- Pen accessories
- Pencil cases and storage
- Desk and organizational accessories
- Limited editions and special collaborations
Notable products include the Classic Notebook, Bullet Journal Edition, Drehgriffel Nr. 1, Drehgriffel Nr. 2, planners, and various limited editions.
The Drehgriffel
One of the best-known writing instruments is the Drehgriffel. Its design draws inspiration from historical mechanical writing instruments while maintaining a modern appearance. The name is German, with “Dreh” meaning turn/twist and “Griffel” meaning stylus/writing instrument. Versions include the Drehgriffel Nr. 1 and Nr. 2, as well as special editions.
Bullet Journal
Leuchtturm1917 has a significant relationship with the Bullet Journal method. The company produces an official Bullet Journal Edition, designed around Ryder Carroll’s productivity system. This product integrates Leuchtturm1917’s physical characteristics—such as numbered pages, indexing, and durable construction—with features tailored for Bullet Journal users. This positioning helped move the brand beyond traditional stationery into the broader productivity, journaling, planning, and personal-organization market.
Personalization
Personalization is part of the brand’s premium positioning. Leuchtturm1917 offers name embossing on certain products, allowing notebooks to become personal possessions or gifts. 2
Premium Stationery Market
Leuchtturm1917 occupies a position considerably more premium than ordinary mass-market notebooks, yet remains relatively accessible compared to highly specialized luxury paper goods. The brand’s appeal stems from a combination of quality, design, functionality, collectability, and personalization. It encourages users to view the notebook as a personal object that accompanies them over time.
Relationship with LEUCHTTURM Gruppe
It is important to distinguish Leuchtturm1917 from the larger LEUCHTTURM Gruppe. The group has a broader history and portfolio rooted in philatelic products, numismatic products, collecting accessories, stationery, writing instruments, lifestyle products, and mail-order retail. LEUCHTTURM Gruppe describes Leuchtturm1917 as its brand focused on notebooks and calendars, while other brands within the group operate in different areas.
Family Ownership
The company remains a family-owned business associated with the Stürken family. Axel and Max Stürken represent the fourth generation of family leadership and have been involved in managing the business since the 1990s. 1 The company describes its heritage in terms of long-term thinking, continuity, and responsibility, linking these traits to its northern German/Hanseatic background.
Headquarters
The LEUCHTTURM Gruppe’s headquarters are located in Geesthacht, in Schleswig-Holstein, near Hamburg, Germany. The company moved there in 1956 and has maintained its headquarters there ever since. This location is significant to the company’s self-image as a Hanseatic family business, connecting its identity to northern Germany’s commercial and maritime traditions.
International Presence
Although distinctly German in origin, Leuchtturm1917 is an international brand available in more than 80 countries. It operates through an international distribution network and has company sites in Germany, the United States, Canada, Sweden, and China. Its notebooks have become recognizable within the international stationery and journaling community.
Sustainability
Sustainability is increasingly part of the company’s product development and messaging. For current notebooks, Leuchtturm1917 highlights FSC-certified paper and discusses responsible materials and production processes. The company emphasizes product longevity, noting that a notebook intended to be kept, organized, and archived for years creates a different consumption model from disposable stationery. 3
Bauhaus Influence
The brand’s aesthetic connects naturally with Bauhaus principles: simplicity, functionality, geometric forms, and restrained visual design. Leuchtturm1917 explicitly celebrated this connection through its Bauhaus Edition, describing clean forms, functional details, and classic colors as shared principles. This illustrates that the brand’s minimalism is tied to the idea that form should serve function.
Factors in Popularity
Leuchtturm1917’s popularity can be attributed to several factors:
- Strong product identity: The Classic Notebook is immediately recognizable through its format, elastic band, colored cover, ribbons, and organizational features.
- Functional details: Numbered pages and indexes make notebooks useful for research, planning, journaling, and project management.
- Color variety: A large selection of colors allows users to express personal style and organize different notebooks.
- Stationery culture: Growth in journaling, Bullet Journaling, fountain-pen writing, and analog productivity has created a community interested in premium paper products.
- Heritage: The company’s history dating back to 1917 provides a narrative that newer companies cannot replicate.
- Lifestyle positioning: The brand sells the idea of handwriting as part of creativity, reflection, and personal organization. 1
Summary
Leuchtturm1917 is a German premium stationery brand belonging to the family-owned LEUCHTTURM Gruppe. Its history traces back to 1917, when lithographer and philatelist Paul Koch founded the KABE publishing house in Aschersleben, while the Leuchtturm publishing business itself was established by Koch in Hamburg in 1948. After decades of specializing in collector albums, the company evolved under the Stürken family and, in 2005, developed Leuchtturm1917 as a dedicated stationery brand. Today, the brand is best known for its notebooks, journals, planners, and writing instruments, distinguished by minimalist design, extensive color choices, and functional details such as numbered pages, contents pages, ribbons, pockets, and perforated sheets. Its central philosophy—“Thinking with the hand”—positions handwriting as a tool for thinking, creativity, organization, and memory. With distribution in more than 80 countries, Leuchtturm1917 has developed from a traditional German publishing heritage into one of the best-known contemporary premium stationery brands. 1
