Arzberg (porcelain brand)
| Arzberg | |
|---|---|
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| Owner / user | Rosenthal |
| Introductory year | 1887 |
| Products | porcelain |
| Website | www.arzberg-porzellan.com |
Arzberg ( ) has been a German brand of the Sambonet Rosenthal Group since 2013 . It was registered in 1887 and connected to the porcelain factory in Arzberg (Upper Franconia) , which existed from 1881 to 2000. From 2003 to 2013, the independent Arzberg Porzellan GmbH existed with a plant in Schirnding .
Arzberg porcelain factory
In 1872 Heinrich Schumann founded a pottery factory in Arzberg. After the construction of a railway line from Marktredwitz via Arzberg and Schirnding to Eger , it was re-established as a porcelain factory in 1881. The founder's son, Christoph Schumann, sold the factory to Theodor Lehmann in 1892. In 1903 the Arzberg factory changed hands again: It was continued as a department of Schönwald AG . Theodor Lehmann remained director of the new company with two plants until his death in 1908. Due to economic pressures, Schönwald AG went to the Kahla Group in 1927 . Arzberg was able to retain its independent scope of action and achieved great fame in the 1930s. With the division of Germany in 1945, the western part of the group was limited to the factories in Arzberg, Schönwald, Schwandorf and Wiesau. In 1972 Kahla and Hutschenreuther AG merged . In 1997 the Arzberg location was sold to Winterling AG , but passed on to SKV Porzellan-Union GmbH (from Schirnding, Kronester , Vohenstrauß ) in 2000 . A little later the factory in Arzberg was shut down.
The entire production now took place in Schirnding, only a few kilometers away. In 2001/03, the renowned name Arzberg was given a new name when the SKV Porzellan-Union first renamed itself to SKV Arzberg-Porzellan-GmbH and finally to Arzberg Porzellan GmbH . On January 23, 2013, Arzberg Porzellan GmbH filed for bankruptcy. Rosenthal GmbH acquired the Arzberg brand name, all associated rights and inventory in August 2013 .
production
The Theodor Lehmann porcelain factory mainly produced historicizing forms, then also fashionable designs in Art Nouveau . With the subordination to Schönwald, Lehmann specialized the Schönwald location in hotel porcelain, while Arzberg mainly produced everyday objects for private households. Arzberg now made a name for itself as a manufacturer of openwork porcelain.
Gretsch era
In 1930 the first contacts between Arzberg director Fritz Kreikemeier and Hermann Gretsch were made . Gretsch designed the "Form 1382", which was introduced in 1931. The market success of sober dishes initially failed.
The new line paid off after a few years of loss from 1935. Gretsch's views were not only in line with the taste promoted by the Nazi regime, Gretsch helped to shape the official recommendations of the office for the beauty of work . In 1939, the entire production of the Arzberg factory was switched to the new line. Gretsch not only designed porcelain molds, but also designed the company's external appearance in the form of promotional items and sample shows.
In 1945 the factory was partially destroyed by the effects of the war. As a result of the war, the city of Arzberg was now near the inner-German border; important raw material deliveries from Thuringia were no longer possible. The reconstruction took place under difficult conditions.
Spoonhardt era
After Gretsch's unexpected death in 1950, the then Kahla board member Emil Geißenhöner was able to win Heinrich Löffelhardt as his successor in 1952. Under his artistic direction, very successful and award-winning designs were created in the following decades. In the boom of the economic miracle , they became style-forming. In 1954 ,öffelhardt's "Form 2000" came onto the market, which was immediately very successful and was ordered in a special edition for the Federal Chancellery at the end of the 1960s.
In 1955 the capacity of the factory was no longer sufficient, so that the Kahla Group had a new production plant built in Schwandorf. As a result, the factory in Arzberg was modernized in the 1960s and equipped with tunnel kilns for the first time. In the late 1960s and 1970s there was another crisis, as a result of which Kahla and Hutschenreuther merged in 1972 and henceforth operated as Hutschenreuther AG . However, the Arzberg factory kept its own name and brand.
Style search and recent successes
From the 1970s on, there was no longer an artistic director, rather freelance designers were commissioned with drafts. The Swiss Hans Theo Baumann , previously President of the Association of German Industrial Designers (VDID) , created the services "3000", "4000 - Danube", "5000 - Turku", "5500 - Brasilia", "6500 - Hellas" and "7000 - Delta ”, plus vases and other tableware. The best-known example is probably the form 3000 in the orange-red decor "Sicilia".
Other designers were Marianne Westman, Werner Bünck , Hans-Wilhelm Seitz, Christel Holmgren-Exner, Ulrike Umlauf-Orrom , Heinz G. Pfaender, Ulrike Bögel, Lutz Rabold, Matteo Thun-Hohenstein and Nikolaus Müller-Behrendt. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the new products presented in quick succession were returned to the tried and tested shapes and the product range was streamlined.
Arzberg Porzellan GmbH (from 2003) in Schirnding still offered the classics "Form 1382" and "Form 2000". There were also two more award-winning services: "Form 2006" by Peter Schmidt and "Gourmet" by Heike Philipp.
In 2013 , Rosenthal bought the “Arzberg” brand from the company's bankruptcy estate, including all shapes and stocks. The new owner wants to continue the production and sale of Arzberg porcelain. The production facility in Schirnding was closed.
Floor mark
From 1928 the floor mark showed the full lettering “Arzberg”, until 1946 also with the crown, coat of arms and the addition “Bavaria”. Then there was the curved lettering "Arzberg", which gave way to printed letters in the 1970s and again from 2000 onwards.
literature
- Wilhelm Siemen (Ed.): 100 Years of the Arzberg Porcelain Factory 1887–1987. Exhibition on the economic, social, advertising and style history of a company. Hohenberg an der Eger 1987, ISBN 3-927793-09-4 .
- Dieter Högermann among others: Good forms at the table. Porcelain design by Hans-Wilhelm Seitz. jenaKultur, Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-930128-27-3 , in particular pp. 39–81.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dieter Högermann u. a .: Good forms at the table. Porcelain design by Hans-Wilhelm Seitz. Jena 2007, p. 142 f.
- ↑ Arzberg Porzellan files for bankruptcy. In: Frankenpost. January 23, 2013.
- ↑ Porcelain brand Arzberg slips under the Rosenthal roof. In: Focus. August 30, 2013.
- ↑ Dieter Högermann u. a .: Good forms at the table. Porcelain design by Hans-Wilhelm Seitz , Jena 2007.