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== Karlheinz Joura | == Karlheinz Joura<ref>Courtesy of [http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/joura/history.cfm Smokingpipes.com]</ref> == | ||
[[Image:Karl-Heinz Joura.jpg|thumb]] | |||
The mystique of the Joura pipe began in 1974 when '''Karlheinz Joura''', a famous former world-class diver and Communist defector, began quietly selling his exquisitely cut straight-grain pipes from his hometown of Bremen, Germany. Even in spite of his athletic accomplishments (Joura competed in many world diving competitions, including the German Championship Games in 1961), the young man had found few prospects in his native East Germany, so he defected to the West, hiding in the cargo hold of a freighter bound for Bremen. | The mystique of the Joura pipe began in 1974 when '''Karlheinz Joura''', a famous former world-class diver and Communist defector, began quietly selling his exquisitely cut straight-grain pipes from his hometown of Bremen, Germany. Even in spite of his athletic accomplishments (Joura competed in many world diving competitions, including the German Championship Games in 1961), the young man had found few prospects in his native East Germany, so he defected to the West, hiding in the cargo hold of a freighter bound for Bremen. | ||
Being known as a great athlete, Joura first found work teaching physical education in the West German schools. Noting that many of his fellow teachers smoked pipes, Joura began to experiment with pipe-making. These early pipes sold so well that Joura decided to devote his life to pipe artistry. | Being known as a great athlete, Joura first found work teaching physical education in the West German schools. Noting that many of his fellow teachers smoked pipes, Joura began to experiment with pipe-making. These early pipes sold so well that Joura decided to devote his life to pipe artistry. | ||
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For many years, Joura pipes were known only in Germany and Northern Europe, and American connoisseurs were forced to buy his pipes in Europe or at pipe shows where a few lucky distributors would exhibit a small collection of Joura pipes. From the beginning, though, serious collectors and smokers sought out Jouras, which quickly became legendary for their smoking qualities, engineering, and perfect execution. Today, most American collectors rank Joura pipes as among the very best, comparing well to pipes by [[S. Bang]], [[Baldo Baldi]], and other world-class artisans. | For many years, Joura pipes were known only in Germany and Northern Europe, and American connoisseurs were forced to buy his pipes in Europe or at pipe shows where a few lucky distributors would exhibit a small collection of Joura pipes. From the beginning, though, serious collectors and smokers sought out Jouras, which quickly became legendary for their smoking qualities, engineering, and perfect execution. Today, most American collectors rank Joura pipes as among the very best, comparing well to pipes by [[S. Bang]], [[Baldo Baldi]], and other world-class artisans. | ||
Joura is well known for his lovely Danish-style shapes, which he says are inspired by the flowing, soft curves he sees in the parks and along the rivers as he walks through his adopted city of Bremen. He hand-cuts all his bits from top-grade Vulcanite and works hard to craft a thin, highly comfortable bit, as he is sure a thinner bit produces a drier smoke. Even though he often works with spherical or ovoid forms, his pieces always display dazzling straight grain. And if a piece develops a flaw, at no matter what stage of production, Joura immediately discards it. Joura is a man of great patience and resolve and he is determined to produce pipes that meet the highest standards of the world collecting community. | Joura is well known for his lovely Danish-style shapes, which he says are inspired by the flowing, soft curves he sees in the parks and along the rivers as he walks through his adopted city of Bremen. He hand-cuts all his bits from top-grade Vulcanite and works hard to craft a thin, highly comfortable bit, as he is sure a thinner bit produces a drier smoke. Even though he often works with spherical or ovoid forms, his pieces always display dazzling straight grain. And if a piece develops a flaw, at no matter what stage of production, Joura immediately discards it. Joura is a man of great patience and resolve and he is determined to produce pipes that meet the highest standards of the world collecting community. | ||
Tremendously gifted and dedicated to precise, disciplined artistry, Karl-Heinz Joura is without a doubt one of the world's great pipe makers. It isn't surprising that his pipes are sought after by discriminating smokers world-wide. | Tremendously gifted and dedicated to precise, disciplined artistry, Karl-Heinz Joura is without a doubt one of the world's great pipe makers. It isn't surprising that his pipes are sought after by discriminating smokers world-wide. | ||
== Karlheinz Joura and His Love of Freedom | == Karlheinz Joura and His Love of Freedom<ref>Rick Newcombe, September 9th, 2015''' --'''''This story first appeared on [http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-reviews-pipe-makers/karlheinz-joura-and-his-love-of-freedom/#more-9441 PipesMagazine.com], and is re-published here with permission of the author.</ref> == | ||
[[File: | [[File:Joura.jpg|thumb|Joura Ad, courtesy Doug Valitchka]] | ||
Karlheinz Joura is one of my favorite people in the pipe world. He is also a skilled artisan whose pipes are considered among the most beautiful and best smokers in the world. | |||
Known as Karlo to his friends and family, he has been making pipes from his workshop in Bremen, Germany, for more than 40 years. His dramatic personal story is unique among pipe makers today. Much has been written about Karlo’s life over the years, though many of the details have been left out of past reports. I have seen slight inaccuracies in some stories, including my own, due to translation issues, and I want to use this article to correct the record. For starters, there is his first name. We all assumed that "Heinz" was his middle name when in fact his first name is Karlheinz. | Known as Karlo to his friends and family, he has been making pipes from his workshop in Bremen, Germany, for more than 40 years. His dramatic personal story is unique among pipe makers today. Much has been written about Karlo’s life over the years, though many of the details have been left out of past reports. I have seen slight inaccuracies in some stories, including my own, due to translation issues, and I want to use this article to correct the record. For starters, there is his first name. We all assumed that "Heinz" was his middle name when in fact his first name is Karlheinz. | ||
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By the time he was 19, in 1961, Karlo had become a diver on the German National Team. He and his teammate, Klaus Konzorr, spent four hours a day at diving practice and then worked the rest of the day as mechanics on the big ships in the harbor. They made a plan to escape to West Germany. | By the time he was 19, in 1961, Karlo had become a diver on the German National Team. He and his teammate, Klaus Konzorr, spent four hours a day at diving practice and then worked the rest of the day as mechanics on the big ships in the harbor. They made a plan to escape to West Germany. | ||
This was not easy. For starters, they had to pick the right ship to hide on. God forbid they were to hide on a ship headed to Russia or any of the Eastern bloc countries. Finally they decided on a West German cargo ship that would be sailing soon to Spain. They waited for a dark night when there was little moonlight, and there was a heavy fog. | |||
They hid quietly as two East German military personnel guarded the gangway, and at 3 a.m. they got their break. A group of West German sailors decided to leave the ship and visit Rostock to see if anything was going on in the city. The military guards left the gangway momentarily to fill out paperwork on the sailors leaving the ship. It was during that brief moment that Karlo and Klaus ran up to the ship, literally behind the backs of the guards, and managed to sneak on board. They had God on their side that night, because just as they started to sprint, a freight train very close to the ship was passing by and making a loud, thunderous noise. | They hid quietly as two East German military personnel guarded the gangway, and at 3 a.m. they got their break. A group of West German sailors decided to leave the ship and visit Rostock to see if anything was going on in the city. The military guards left the gangway momentarily to fill out paperwork on the sailors leaving the ship. It was during that brief moment that Karlo and Klaus ran up to the ship, literally behind the backs of the guards, and managed to sneak on board. They had God on their side that night, because just as they started to sprint, a freight train very close to the ship was passing by and making a loud, thunderous noise. | ||
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Two years later Martin Luther King would make his famous "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in which he concluded by shouting, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" And that is exactly how Karlo and Klaus felt when they were standing on deck breathing in the sea air in international waters, experiencing real freedom for the first time in their lives. | Two years later Martin Luther King would make his famous "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in which he concluded by shouting, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" And that is exactly how Karlo and Klaus felt when they were standing on deck breathing in the sea air in international waters, experiencing real freedom for the first time in their lives. | ||
[[File:Joura mug-shots 3.jpg|thumb|left|These police mug shots were taken at the Stasi prison in 1962. The top row shows Hans-Joachim Frommhold, the East German diver who was a close friend of Joura’s, after he was caught trying to escape to West Germany. He was only 16 at the time of his arrest. The bottom photos show the two West German shipmates — Horst Hülden and Manfred Krupski — who were caught trying to help him escape.]] | |||
The Berlin Wall had only recently been built, and Karlo had managed to get out before the Stasi seriously tightened the screws. For instance, one of Karlo’s best friends, Hans-Joachim Frommhold, nicknamed "Frommi,” was only 16 when he tried the same escape a short while later. He boarded a West German ship, hid in the tunnel below deck, and was given assistance by two young West Germans who were working on the ship. They were discovered, and all three were sentenced to six-month prison terms. Frommi, who also was a champion diver — in fact, Karlo says he was the most talented diver on the team — was banned from athletics for life. As if that were not enough, after he had served his prison term, he was sentenced for another year to endure additional hardships such as cleaning the latrines on ships and other humiliating jobs. | The Berlin Wall had only recently been built, and Karlo had managed to get out before the Stasi seriously tightened the screws. For instance, one of Karlo’s best friends, Hans-Joachim Frommhold, nicknamed "Frommi,” was only 16 when he tried the same escape a short while later. He boarded a West German ship, hid in the tunnel below deck, and was given assistance by two young West Germans who were working on the ship. They were discovered, and all three were sentenced to six-month prison terms. Frommi, who also was a champion diver — in fact, Karlo says he was the most talented diver on the team — was banned from athletics for life. As if that were not enough, after he had served his prison term, he was sentenced for another year to endure additional hardships such as cleaning the latrines on ships and other humiliating jobs. | ||
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Karlo picked Bremen because he had friends there, and he loved the fact that it was on the water, the Weser River. He and Klaus competed in the Olympic trials together, and Klaus made the team and competed in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City. Karlo came very close to qualifying for the Olympics, but in the end, he did not make the final cut. After that, he gave up competitive diving and became a high school teacher specializing in sports, what in America we would call a physical education teacher. He did this for 10 years and had a secure income with fantastic benefits. But to someone who values freedom as much as Karlo, it started to feel like a velvet coffin. | Karlo picked Bremen because he had friends there, and he loved the fact that it was on the water, the Weser River. He and Klaus competed in the Olympic trials together, and Klaus made the team and competed in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City. Karlo came very close to qualifying for the Olympics, but in the end, he did not make the final cut. After that, he gave up competitive diving and became a high school teacher specializing in sports, what in America we would call a physical education teacher. He did this for 10 years and had a secure income with fantastic benefits. But to someone who values freedom as much as Karlo, it started to feel like a velvet coffin. | ||
And then there were pipes. He had always loved them. Even as a toddler — when he grabbed hold of his great-grandfather’s favorite long Tyrolean pipe and wouldn’t let go. The old man thought it was funny, and he let the boy keep it and bought another one for himself. Karlo loved that pipe and kept it until his escape to West Germany. Once he was a young adult, he was a full-fledged pipe smoker. One day he visited a pipe store in Basel, Switzerland, and saw the two most beautiful pipes he had ever seen. He could not afford them, but he could not forget them either. He wound up visiting that store four times just to study those two pipes. He does not remember who made them, but he said they were high-grade Danish. | |||
After hearing this story, I discovered that Jess Chonowitsch was the only pipe maker selling high-grade Danish pipes in Basel at that time. No surprise there, since Jess’ pipes are so beautiful. I told Jess the story and said obviously Karlo has good taste! | After hearing this story, I discovered that Jess Chonowitsch was the only pipe maker selling high-grade Danish pipes in Basel at that time. No surprise there, since Jess’ pipes are so beautiful. I told Jess the story and said obviously Karlo has good taste! | ||
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Shortly before the 2015 Chicago Pipe Show I was chatting with a fellow collector who wanted to buy Joura pipes but couldn’t find them. I wrote to Karlo and heard back from his oldest daughter, Kim, who is handling the business side for his pipes. Kim said they were considering coming to the Chicago show. Kim hates to fly but her younger sister, Coco, was eager to make her first trip to America. Fortunately, all three of Karlo’s children speak English. | Shortly before the 2015 Chicago Pipe Show I was chatting with a fellow collector who wanted to buy Joura pipes but couldn’t find them. I wrote to Karlo and heard back from his oldest daughter, Kim, who is handling the business side for his pipes. Kim said they were considering coming to the Chicago show. Kim hates to fly but her younger sister, Coco, was eager to make her first trip to America. Fortunately, all three of Karlo’s children speak English. | ||
I first met Coco when she was 12, in 2002, but I recognized her immediately at the Pheasant Run Resort. She is a 25-year-old opera singer who is studying for her master’s degree. She brought some of Karlo’s pipes and sold them mostly to Chinese buyers. | |||
The market has changed, and I have noticed that most high grade pipes are sold on a handful of websites based in cities that are spread all over the world. Kim sells Joura pipes through some of these websites, such as Per Bilhall’s website from Sweden:http://scandpipes.com/group.asp?group=640. Kim also sells directly to customers through the "Pipeshop" section of her website:http://www.joura-pipeshop.de/index.php/component/virtuemart/polierte-pfeifen. | The market has changed, and I have noticed that most high grade pipes are sold on a handful of websites based in cities that are spread all over the world. Kim sells Joura pipes through some of these websites, such as Per Bilhall’s website from Sweden:http://scandpipes.com/group.asp?group=640. Kim also sells directly to customers through the "Pipeshop" section of her website:http://www.joura-pipeshop.de/index.php/component/virtuemart/polierte-pfeifen. | ||
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During the Chicago show, Romeo Domenico, a seller of briar to pipe makers, came over to our table with a big grin on his face. Romeo, who goes by the nickname "Mimmo," was so happy to see Coco! What amazed me was her ability to speak Italian with him as if she were a native. She explained that her boyfriend was Italian and it was easy for her to become fluent. Coco said she and Mimmo first met when her family stayed in an apartment in Italy for several weeks when she was a baby and Mimmo was a teenager, when Karlo was buying briar from Filippo Romeo, Mimmo’s father. He started buying from Filippo Romeo in 1974; hence, some of Joura’s pipes are called "Romeos" because they were made with that very old briar. | During the Chicago show, Romeo Domenico, a seller of briar to pipe makers, came over to our table with a big grin on his face. Romeo, who goes by the nickname "Mimmo," was so happy to see Coco! What amazed me was her ability to speak Italian with him as if she were a native. She explained that her boyfriend was Italian and it was easy for her to become fluent. Coco said she and Mimmo first met when her family stayed in an apartment in Italy for several weeks when she was a baby and Mimmo was a teenager, when Karlo was buying briar from Filippo Romeo, Mimmo’s father. He started buying from Filippo Romeo in 1974; hence, some of Joura’s pipes are called "Romeos" because they were made with that very old briar. | ||
In August 2015 I visited the Jouras in Bremen. Coco was in Italy so I spent time with Karlo and his two other children, Kim and Fabian. I first met Fabian when he was an 8-year-old boy. He is now 21 and a college student majoring in physics with the goal of becoming a high school physics teacher and … a pipe maker. Fabian started working with his father three years ago, and he has keen eyes and great hands. His father has taught him every pipe-making trick imaginable, and Fabian’s pipes reflect a professionalism beyond his years. The nomenclature is the name "Joura" in a circle, with an F stamped at the base of the circle. I bought one and am very happy with it. If you are interested in Fabian’s pipes, I’d suggest contacting Kim. | |||
When Karlo, Fabian and I were in the workshop, I brought out a handful of my Joura pipes that needed slight tweaks. These were mostly pipes that I had bought on eBay and for which I had new mouthpieces made, and one was an old favorite that I had bought from Josef Ostermann’s pipe store in Vienna years ago, and the mouthpiece had become pretty ragged. Two of the repairs were by Brian McNulty and one by George Dibos. Both are talented Americans who I highly recommend for repairs, and Karlo was very complimentary of their work. Karlo re-stamped the name "Joura” on two of the pipes because it had become faded, and he sanded off a little vulcanite on the saddle of one of the pipes to make it look more like the original. As I watched him work, I was so impressed by his relaxed skill — just an amazing pipe maker. | |||
Fabian lives in an apartment across the river from Karlo’s house, and he rides his bicycle to the workshop every morning. Karlo also continues to ride his bicycle every day. After making pipes in the morning, he rides to a restaurant with a view of the river and enjoys a cup of hot coffee while watching the water, contemplating, relaxing and just enjoying his life. | Fabian lives in an apartment across the river from Karlo’s house, and he rides his bicycle to the workshop every morning. Karlo also continues to ride his bicycle every day. After making pipes in the morning, he rides to a restaurant with a view of the river and enjoys a cup of hot coffee while watching the water, contemplating, relaxing and just enjoying his life. | ||
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Karlo is very relaxed today, at 73, making pipes out of desire and not necessity, proud of his talented children, knowing that his legacy will live on. He has been amply rewarded for his tremendous courage to follow his dreams. | Karlo is very relaxed today, at 73, making pipes out of desire and not necessity, proud of his talented children, knowing that his legacy will live on. He has been amply rewarded for his tremendous courage to follow his dreams. | ||
<gallery widths=450 heights=300 mode="packed-hover"> | |||
Rick-joura 2.jpg|thumb|Two old pals: Rick Newcombe and Karlheinz Joura in 2015. One speaks English and the other German, but their common language is pipes | |||
Kim-joura.jpg|thumb|Kim Joura, who is selling Karlheinz Joura pipes | |||
Fabian-joura.jpg|thumb|Fabian Joura sanding the mouthpiece on one of his pipes. | |||
Rick-kim.jpg|thumb|Rick Newcombe and Coco Joura at the 2015 Chicago Pipe Show with Joura pipes displayed on the table | |||
Joura-family.jpg|thumb|Kim, Karlo and Fabian Joura in Bremen, Germany in August 2015. Coco was in Italy during my visit. | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Gallery == | |||
<gallery widths=300 heights=200 mode="packed-hover"> | |||
JouraStraightgrain1 02.jpg|A beautiful Joura Straitgrain, from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Joura-pipe-01.jpg|High-grade Joura pipes from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Joura-pipe-02.jpg|High-grade Joura pipes from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Joura-pipe-03.jpg|High-grade Joura pipes from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Joura-pipe-04.jpg|High-grade Joura pipes from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Joura-pipe-05.jpg|High-grade Joura pipes from a recent catalog. Photo by Peter Frey: http://www.rehprodukt.de | |||
Karl Heinz Joura Pipe01.jpg | |||
Karl Heinz Joura Pipe02.jpg | |||
Karl Heinz Joura Pipe03.jpg | |||
Karl Heinz Joura Pipe04.jpg | |||
Fabian-pipe-01.jpg|A new pipe made by Fabian Joura, who is working with his father. | |||
Fabian-pipe-02.jpg|A Fabian Joura pipe with a unique and beautiful stain. | |||
Fabian-pipe-03.jpg | |||
Fabian-pipe-04.jpg|An older Joura pipe with a replacement mouthpiece by Brian McNulty of Los Angeles. | |||
Fabian-pipe-05.jpg|One of my favorite Joura pipes with a replacement mouthpiece by George Dibos of Kansas City. | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Contact Information == | |||
Karl Heinz Joura | Karl Heinz Joura | ||
Am Dobben 21 | Am Dobben 21 | ||
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Email: [mailto:info@joura.de info@joura.de] | Email: [mailto:info@joura.de info@joura.de] | ||
Website: [http://www.joura.de/ Joura Pfeifen] | Website: [http://www.joura.de/ Joura Pfeifen] | ||
== References == | |||
<references /> | |||
[[Category: Pipe makers by nationality]] | [[Category: Pipe makers by nationality]] | ||
[[Category: Germany]] | [[Category: Germany]] | ||