Writing Ball

The modern museum – past and future hand in hand. It’s a hands-on experience!

Digital reconstruction of a writing ball using restauration sketches as well as the original patent papers. Created in cooperation with the restaurateur of Friedrich Nietsche’s Writing Ball as well as the “International Malling-Hansen Society”.

• invented in 1867 by the Danish teacher for deaf-mute people Rasmus Malling-Hansen
• it was the very first commercially sold Typewriter
• won prices at various world fairs and was thought to be technically flawless
• unfortunately, it never became the standard.
• Instead, the American Remington Typewriters (using the QWERTY Layout) asserted themselves on the world market
• all in all only around 200 Writing Balls were ever sold