Penkala – a perfect Croatian souvenir

Have you ever wondered, whilst writing with a mechanical pencil, who invented it? If you find yourself in the Croatian capital, you have an ideal opportunity to learn more about the mechanical pencil – popularly known as penkala in Croatia. Its inventor, Slavoljub Penkala, opened one of the largest writing implement factories in the world in the early 20th century right here in Zagreb.

If you consider a high quality mechanical pencil as a good, practical gift, know that Zagreb offers an opportunity to purchase items made in the factory founded by the writing implement’s inventor himself!

The contemporary company TOZ Penkala (the Zagreb Pencil Factory) was founded in 1937 as the legacy of Slavoljub Penkala, the globally recognized inventor of the mechanical pencil, who also patented around 80 other inventions without which we could not imagine modern everyday living.

If you are planning a visit to Zagreb soon, make sure to find the retail shop on Petrinjska Street in the heart of the city, where you can choose from a diverse assortment of products from the renowned factory of writing implements. Apart from a diverse range of exclusive, gold plated mechanical pens and fountain pens, the assortment also includes school and office stationery, cosmetic pencils and products from their exclusive line. All items are top quality original Croatian products, and are a globally recognizable brand with a fan base all over the world.

The story of the mechanical pencil, nowadays more commonly known as a ballpoint pen, is equally interesting as the story about the life of one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century, Slavoljub Penkala.

Born Eduard Penkala in 1871 in Slovakia, upon his arrival in Zagreb, where he fell in love and invented most of his patents, the great inventor took on a Croatian name – Slavoljub.

During his first years in Zagreb, in 1906 to be precise, he invented his best known patent – the first mechanical pencil in the world, while a year later he invented the fountain pen. After that, he patented approximately 80 other inventions in the fields of mechanics, chemistry, physics and aeronautics. Many of his patents were stolen, but the mechanical pencil remains not only his greatest invention, but the one whose production financed almost all of his other inventions.

Slavoljub Penkala patented his first mechanical pencil on 24th January 1906, and only several months later he opened the first mechanical pencil factory in the world on today’s Praška Street. In order for the pencil to write as straight as it does nowadays, he poured the thin graphite leads and inserted them into metal holders himself. He also constructed a spiral insert which forces the lead outwards by a twist on the outer grip of the pencil, which remains unchanged to this day. By doing so, he replaced the standard, wooden pencil which had to be sharpened, and gained global fame.

He had since perfected the pencil by working on their design, creating elegant pieces suitable for both men and women. All of those improvements led to the invention of the fountain pen, which he then began exporting to 70 countries around the world. In 1911, Penkala had 1100 employees at his plant, which was one of the biggest factories of writing implements in the world at that time.

All of that is an important part of the story about Zagreb, the city in which you can buy a mechanical pencil as a unique souvenir!