Welcome to the World of Porcelain

It takes countless steps before a cup, a plate or a teapot makes it into a display case or onto your table at home. Visitors at the Porzellanikon Selb (State Museum for Porcelain Selb) experience this - quite literally - rocky path from the inconspicuous lump of stone to the fine crockery at first hand. The historic factory is a prime example of the highly industrialised division of labour. Step by step, the raw materials are first turned into raw porcelain paste in the "mass mill", from which the respective porcelain piece is then created in the "white production" by turning or moulding. Finally, the colourful decoration is applied to the porcelain in the process of "colour production".  A separate house in the museum is dedicated to each of these production steps.

The highlights of the “Massemühle” are its heavy machinery and the impressive rooms. Two steam engines weighing several tonnes can be admired here, one of which even comes to life every hour during a demonstration and, together with the large drum mills, gives visitors an impression of the deafening soundscape in which the porcelain miners carried out their work. Heavy wheels and transmission belts distributed the power to a multitude of machines that gradually turned the coarse lumps of quartz and feldspar into fine flour. Finally, the magic ingredient, kaolin, was added to the mixture.

In whiteware production, the fine crockery was made by turning or moulding the raw mass. Visitors can experience both techniques live. How is a cup made from a template and mould? How do you hollow out ceramics and why is plaster so important in porcelain production? Our experts are happy to answer all of your questions and talk about their decades of professional experience in the porcelain industry. A final highlight are the large kilns, where porcelain used to be fired for many hours at a blazing heat of over 1400 degrees celsius, which have been preserved in their original state and extend over several floors,, .

But it is not only the technical processes of porcelain production that are impressively conveyed in Selb. In the "Porcelain Life" section, people take centre stage. What was everyday working life like in the factory? How did the porcelain workers live and work and how did they spend their limited free time? How well could they live on the wages they were paid and what health hazards lurked in the factory? The interactive exhibition conveys a vivid picture of the everyday life of the porcelain workers. Visitors experience the cramped living quarters and the hard labour first-hand and are amazed by anecdotes from everyday working life. Drinking beer while you work? That was commonplace back then!

Founded in the 1860s by Jakob Zeidler, the factory was taken over by Rosenthal in 1917 and operated until its closure in the 1960s. This deep connection with the Rosenthal brand is expressed in the exhibition "Rosenthal - A Myth". Here, visitors are immersed in the company history shaped by Philipp Rosenthal and Philipp Rosenthal junior. They experience how the strong and very different personalities of father and son determined and guided the development of the company and its products.

If Selb is the industrial engine room of the Porzellanikon (State Museum for Porcelain ), then Hohenberg is its treasure chamber. In the authentic rooms of the old Hutschenreuther manufacturer's villa, you'll find a wide array of fine porcelain. The highlights of the 300-year cultural history of porcelain are arranged according to epochs and themes. From the difficult beginnings of porcelain production at the court of Augustus the Strong to the designer and mass-produced items of the post-war period up to 1989, everything of distinction is represented here. It is impressive to see which trends characterised porcelain design in the respective decades and how simplicity and playfulness alternated. Travelling through the centuries is an impressive experience. Thanks to its idyllic location in the middle of nature, Porzellanikon Hohenberg (State Museum for Porcelain Hohenberg) is perfect for a relaxing excursion into the world of porcelain.