Lenzing was already an important site for pulp and paper production before World War II. The geographical location in the heart of Europe and access to important resources facilitated its developme

The region had already been known as an excellent production site hundreds of years ago. The “Starlingermühle” paper mill used to create handmade paper from waste textiles. In 1890 the Lower Austrian paper industrialist Emil Hamburger acquired the mill because he believed the location would be ideal for his expansion plans: the Ager River supplied all the water he needed, the nearby coal mines in the Upper Austrian Hausruckviertel region provided him with energy, the wood came from the surrounding mountains, and there was an ample supply of people forced to change from agriculture to factory work.