Lighters @museum.de

Got a light? A question every smoker can easily answer in the affirmative. These days, having a lighter in your pocket is taken for granted – and yet matches and lighters are relatively recent inventions.

As recently as the late 19th century, people made sure they always kept a small fire burning in the house, or at least some embers. If it went out, at least they had a supply of tinder. In this region, it would have been some tinder fungus, fomus fomentarius. This fibrous fungus very easily catches fire, and the spark to light it came from striking a fire steel. Both are on display in the standard showcase on the right.

Matches as we know them today were invented in the 1820s. Lighters are just a few years older. Though the practical pocket lighter has only been around since the 20th century, originally filled with petrol, now mostly with gas.

Lighters are popular novelty and collectors’ items, so there are no limits on what they might look like these days. Whether they take the shape of a croaking frog, a flushing loo, or are multi-functional lighters plus nail clippers and nail file – virtually anything you can think of is here.

Our next stop is also about the tobacco industry – you’ll find it on the next floor below this one.