Porcelain Route
Porcelain Route International
Experience over 200 years of porcelain history in the heart of Europe
Look forward to unique cultural enjoyment, special shopping experiences, fun with the whole family or romantic hours for two in the home of white gold. On your journey through the breathtakingly beautiful landscapes along the Porcelain Route, you will follow the traces of an industry and craft that has a long tradition in the included holiday regions. The route leads past former and existing porcelain production sites, from the cradle of northern Bavarian porcelain production in the Fichtelgebirge mountains through Stiftaland and the Upper Palatinate Forest, Franconian Switzerland and the Steigerwald forest via the Upper Main Valley-Coburg region to the Franconian Forest and the Bavarian Vogtland region and on to the Imperial Forest in the neighbouring Czech Republic, where the first porcelain factory in Bohemia was founded in Horní Slavkov.
Home of the white gold
The home of white gold is as multifaceted as porcelain itself. Porcelain is omnipresent in idyllic villages, but also in the cities of Bamberg, Bayreuth, Selb and Weiden. It is not uncommon for the porcelain tradition to be reflected in the townscape, and in many places a harmonious symbiosis of industrial heritage, culture and nature can be observed.
The Porcelain Route makes it possible to experience:
- the traditional porcelain regions of north-east Bavaria and western Czechia;
- numerous museums, porcelain manufactories and factory outlets;
- art-historical testimonies and modern table culture made of the finest porcelain.
Type of route: Holiday route
Theme: Porcelain, Culture
Start / Destination: Schlüsselfeld / Bayreuth or Ostrow
Length: approx. 800 km
State: Bavaria and Czech Republic (Kraj Karlsbad)
Holiday regions: Fichtelgebirge, Steigerwald, Franconian Forest, Upper Main Valley - Coburg Region, Bavarian Vogtland, Stiftland, Upper Palatinate Forest, Franconian Switzerland, Carlsbad Region
Museums, factory outlets and manufactories
Time and again, the proud past reveals itself: museums, factory sales and manufactories show the whole range of the noble shard. World-famous brands such as Arzberg, BHS tabletop, Dibbern, Hutschenreuther, Rosenthal, Seltmann and Walküre continue the tradition of porcelain production to this day. More than 20 factory outlets and studios offer service, figurines and ornamental items at reasonable prices. Numerous museums reflect this cultural and historical achievement, which is unique in Germany - from the origins of the first ceramics to lifestyle objects of the 21st century. Here you can also get to know the work and everyday life of porcelain makers through the ages. Discover a natural material whose use and form can hardly be surpassed. Experience solid craftsmanship and stylish design and simply be enchanted by the diversity of the white gold.
The Porcelain Route Travel Guide, the "Romantic", "Mobile", "Family" and "Winter" excursion packages and the new factory sales guide will be helpful companions here. They provide information about the porcelain past and present of the individual stops, know their porcelain highlights and where to find fine table culture and hospitality.
Porzellanikon
State Museum of Porcelain Hohenberg an der Eger and Selb
Europe's largest special museum for porcelain captivates its visitors with the aura of impressive original settings. Elaborately staged exhibitions at the two locations of the Porzellanikon present, among other things, the table and dining cultures of different times with a great deal of knowledge and passion. The mother house in Hohenberg an der Eger shows the path of German porcelain history from the beginning of the 18th century to the political change in 1989. The Porzellanikon in Selb makes it possible to understand and experience the effort involved in the production of porcelain from the raw materials to the finished decorated piece. Former porcelain makers are happy to provide information and give live demonstrations of how it was done. This also includes learning about the social conditions that shaped porcelain towns throughout Europe. In the former kiln house of the former Rosenthal factory, the history of the Rosenthal company and its products is told today. The fact that porcelain is not only used to make tableware is impressively demonstrated by the technical ceramics. Whether man-sized mixing vessels for the chemical industry, dipping moulds for the well-known latex gloves, electrical insulators and capacitors or the most modern products for the fields of biomedicine, computer technology and automotive engineering - all this was and is produced by German manufacturers and is gathered here.
Porzellanikon Selb
One museum at two locations: Hohenberg an der Eger and SelbThe Porzellanikon in Selb is located in a former Rosenthal factory that was closed down in 1969. The production of the "white gold" can be experienced. From the raw materials to the finished decorated piece, visitors can lend a hand and experience the material up close. Families with children as well as senior citizens will be addressed. This and much more is demonstrated to visitors in the historic production rooms, which cover an area of around 8000 m². Former porcelain makers use original machines and various stations to demonstrate how porcelain was produced and provide insights into three hundred years of production history. This also includes learning about the social conditions that shaped porcelain towns throughout Europe. Interactive stations discreetly reveal details, videos let people have their say.
If nothing were to be learned in this former Rosenthal factory about the company that once produced here, it would be almost unforgivable. So the history of the Rosenthal brand and its products is presented in another section. In one of the "kiln houses" where, until 1969, three of the ten oversized round kilns consumed tons of coal to fire porcelain at 1,400°C, such a "monster" stretches over three storeys in an interior that looks like a cathedral. Its imposing size is the design focal point for the exhibition architecture developing in this area. It is an overview of designers and design, artists and art, the likes of which can hardly be found elsewhere. In special exhibitions on lifestyle, art, design and historical themes, the museum constantly reinvents itself.
The exhibition area on technical ceramics shows that porcelain is much more than a commodity. Whether man-sized mixing vessels for the chemical industry, dipping moulds for the well-known latex gloves, electrical insulators and capacitors or the most modern products for biomedicine, computer technology and automotive engineering - all of these were and are produced by German manufacturers and are gathered here. An area that fascinates, that is constantly developing and that has a future. Technical ceramics - hidden but incomparable and indispensable.
Location in Hohenberg an der Eger
At the second location in Hohenberg an der Eger, you will embark on a journey through the history of German porcelain from the founding of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. It is not only the beautiful pieces in the museum's display cases that inspire visitors. Here too, scenographies place the product in the context of its use, while audiovisual media invite you to marvel and experience more.
Further information is available at: www.porzellanikon.org
Route guidance with parking space information
You can find the Czech part of the route in our travel world map
This information is a service offer from ALPINE in cooperation with FERIENSTRASSEN.INFO 
Porzellanstraße c/o Porzellanikon
Werner-Schürer-Platz 1
D - 95100 Selb
PORCELAIN ROUTE
