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- Printable Old German Lettering
- Old German Style Font Styles
- Old German Style Font Lettering
- Old German Style Font Designs
Oct 10, 2018 A little history first! Old German Handschrift (handwriting), known as die Kurrentschrift or Kurrent for short in German, but also known simply as die alte deutsche Schrift (‘Old German script’), was closely modelled on the handwriting used in das Mittelalter (medieval times). Looking for German fonts? Click to find the best 178 free fonts in the German style. Every font is free to download! A font in the German handwriting style used until the middle of the 20th century.
Old German Handschrift (handwriting), known as die Kurrentschrift or Kurrent for short in German, but also known simply as die alte deutsche Schrift (‘Old German script’), was closely modelled on the handwriting used in das Mittelalter (medieval times). The collection ranges from the original font used by Johannes Gutenberg to print his famous bible, to the last of the true Fraktur fonts developed just before World War II. Fraktur is being rediscovered by sophisticated book designers, calligraphers and typographers. The need for a digital revival of these fonts.
The best website for free high-quality Old German fonts, with 26 free Old German fonts for immediate download, and ➔ 72 professional Old German fonts for the best price on the Web.
26 Free Old German Fonts
- old germanHideShow
- OldGerman-ItaliHideShow
- HURTMOLD_HideShow
- German UndergroundHideShow
- German BeautyHideShow
- German CapsHideShow
- German3 StylesHideShow
- GermanFatman2 StylesHideShow
- Gothic GermanHideShow
- Encient German Gothic2 StylesHideShow
- SchwabachDekoHideShow
- Kidnapped at German Lands3 StylesHideShow
- Old RepublicHideShow
- Old TypewriterHideShow
- Old OakHideShow
- Old ScriptHideShow
- Old VirusHideShow
- Old LondonHideShow
- Old CopperfieldHideShow
- Old TypefacesHideShow
- Old FaxHideShow
- Old StamperHideShow
- Old NewspaperHideShow
- Old PressHideShow
- OldBootHideShow
- Old CarHideShow
- 80 Free Old German Fonts · 1001 FontsWe have 80 free old german fonts to offer for direct downloading · 1001 Fonts is your favorite site for free fonts since 2001
- History of the Old German Script at Walden Font Co.On the History of Old German Script. There is currently much discussion as to the origin and development of the Old German script. There are as many different ...
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- 228 Free German fonts - FontSpaceInstant downloads for 228 free German fonts. For you professionals, 38 are 100% free for commercial-use!
- Blackletter - WikipediaBlackletter, also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 to well into the 17th ...
- 227 Free german fonts (Page 2) - FontSpaceInstant downloads for 227 free german fonts. For you professionals, 38 are 100% free for commercial-use! (Page 2)
- Gothic > Medieval fonts | dafont.comArchive of freely downloadable fonts. Browse by alphabetical listing, by style, by author or by popularity.
- Fraktur - WikipediaFraktur (German: [fʀakˈtuːɐ] ) is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. The blackletter lines ...
Please note: If you want to create professional printout, you should consider a commercial font. Free fonts often have not all characters and signs, and have no kerning pairs (Avenue ↔ A venue, Tea ↔ T ea).
Check it for free with Typograph.
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Printable Old German Lettering
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There is currently much discussion as to the origin and development of theOld German script. There are as many different opinions as there are voicestalking about it. To avoid further confusion and clear up the record, we wouldlike to trace the origins and development of the Old German Script from itsbeginnings in the first half of the 16th century to its termination as the“standard” German script in 1941.
“German Script” and “Kurrent”
Old German Style Font Styles
The Kurrent script, which is commonly known as “The Old German Script”evolved from the gothic cursive handwriting at the beginning of the 16th century. Thegothic cursive had been in use throughout much of the medieval ages and haddeveloped into a staggering number of different writing styles. The need for auniform and legible handwriting led many important writing masters to thedevelopment of the Kurrent, a script that was soon adopted by many chancelleriesbecause it was beautiful, fast to write and comparatively legible. Thisinitiated the widespread use of Kurrent as an everyday handwriting. Over the next two hundred years, writing styles became more and morestandardized, so that by the end of the 18th century the “modern”form of the Kurrent was established.
Old German Style Font Lettering
Sütterlin vs. Kurrent
Old German Style Font Designs
Anybody who has tried will confirm that the classic Kurrent script is very hardto write. There are many sharp angles, straight lines and abrupt changes indirection. To give schoolchildren an easier start on the art of writing, theViennese graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin (born 1865, died 1917) devised a formof Kurrent that consisted of wide curves and very few sharp angles. Heintended it as a basic script on which pupils would develop their individualhandwriting. This Kurrent was accepted as standard script in all Prussianschools in 1915. By 1934, it was firmly established at virtually all Germanschools. Sütterlin Kurrent is the handwriting remembered by the older Germangeneration. Like all Fraktur and Kurrent types, it mostly disappeared after1941.
Why the German script disappeared
After the turn of the century, Kurrent, much like its printed counterpart, Fraktur, declined in popularity. As German society became more cosmopolitan, itviewed the national style of writing as antiquated and ugly. Consequently, thehumanist Antiqua, both in its printed and written form became more and morefashionable. This, of course, changed with the rise of the Nazi regime.
Antiqua and Latin script were declared “Un-German” and “non-Aryan.”Only Fraktur and Gothic typefaces were to be considered “German.” As aresult of this policy many bastardized Gothic and Fraktur designs cropped up,all of them commonly known as “Schaftstiefel Grotesk.” (Jackboot Sans-Serif)
In 1941 however, Hitler ordered a complete reversal of existing policy andissued a curious decree, declaring Fraktur and Kurrentto be of “Jewish origin” and therefore taboo.The motive for this sudden change is easily seen. The Germanadministration of the occupied countries had found that Fraktur and Germanscript formed a veritable communication barrier with the peoples of Poland,France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Greece and parts of the SovietUnion. German or not, it had to go.
The nazi propaganda machine was charged with building public support for thedecision, but quite apparently it choked on this particular bit of nazireasoning. No mention of the order is made in the official newspapers for thefollowing six months. At the start of the new school year, a more plausiblereason was found, and the Reichsminister for Education touted the new policy asthe creation of new standard script, better suited as a base for an individualhandwriting. The Völkischer Beobachter (the official Nazi party newspaper)chimed in, complaining that presently German children had to learn eightdifferent alphabets (Fraktur, Kurrent, Antiqua and Latin Script, upper and lowercase each), which would now be reduced to four, thus making learning much easieron the children. The result, in any case, was that Kurrent was no longer taughtin schools.
It is a misconception that the allied forces officially prohibited the use ofFraktur and Script. It is, however, conceivable that local commanders preferredto have communications printed in Antiqua — again because non-Germans couldnot read Fraktur and Kurrent.
Was that the end of Kurrent?
Not quite. Some German schools still taught the Old German Script in optionalafternoon classes. I still have a primer entitled “Wer kann das lesen,”printed in 1954, which is indicative of the innocence that was commonly feltabout the way Germany wrote. The poor image of Fraktur and Kurrent only cameabout when movies, television and printed media associated Fraktur with theThird Reich — to the extent that for some time any blackletter font wasconsidered “Nazi Type.” Today, Fraktur is experiencing a modest resurgence in the hands of progressive designers who use these interesting typefaces mostly in ornamental applications.