Weimar Porcelain or Weimar Porzellan is a German company that produces porcelain in Weimar. The history of this brand begins in 1790 when the ceramic master Christian Andreas Speck asked Friedrich Graf von Hatzfeld to build a porcelain factory. On July 1, 1790, they obtained a license to build the factory in Weimar. The clay needed for porcelain production was brought from Tannroda, and the quartz-feldspar sand was sourced from Schwarz and the surrounding area of Blankenhain. The raw materials were crushed and processed at the factory in Zethau. The conditions for porcelain production were excellent and remained unchanged even during political upheavals. Speck was able to reach agreements with the relevant raw material suppliers to ensure that production was not affected. In 1797, Speck presented the first porcelain products at the Leipzig Fair. In the early 19th century, tableware was produced for the middle class and generally consisted of common goods. By 1816, Speck had hired 155 workers. In 1817, the factory was almost completely destroyed by fire, and considerable efforts were made to reconstruct it. Christian Andreas Speck died on December 30 of the same year at the age of 69. After Speck's death, the factory was bought by Landkammerrat Gustav Focht. It is unknown how much he knew about porcelain production, but he relied on the experience of the employees left by Christian Andreas Speck. In March 1836, Focht sold the porcelain factory to Gotthard Zorge for 17,000 Reichstalers, presumably due to a lack of specialized and skilled personnel. Zorge paid much more for the porcelain factory than it was worth and soon went bankrupt. Gustav Focht repurchased the factory from Zorge to sell it for 8,300 talers to a Mr. Streitbart. In 1841, Streitbart and Mr. H. Kestner established a subsidiary called Weimar. Together, they improved the production processes, but this was a short time before the bourgeois revolution.And when the economic climate for such enterprises was far from favorable. In 1847, Stratebart and Kestner temporarily closed the factory before selling it to the Fasolt family. The Fasolt family from Selb arrived in Blankenhain and began modernizing the company. In 1856, after the death of Victor Fasolt, his widow Elizabeth took over the business. In 1879, she handed over management to her sons Max and Karl Fasolt. Elizabeth had ambiguous relationships with porcelain entrepreneur Edward Eichler, who had also been involved in managing the factory since 1856. Some important events during this period included the introduction of the new trademark Saxon Rhomb; the construction of three large kilns for firing; and the acquisition of a new steam engine to power the mill in the large workshop of the factory. Other innovations and modernization measures were also implemented during this period. An important element was the construction of a railway line between Blankenhain and Weimar in 1887; this gave a significant advantage to the factory, which by then was mainly producing large batches of porcelain items. Therefore, in 1879, when transportation costs became cheaper and production volume constantly increased, Max and Karl Fasolt took over the management of the company. In 1900, the factory's trademark in the form of a rhombus was supplemented with the word "GERMANY" to strengthen the company's image as an exporter. During this time, production volume continuously increased, and the factory became widely known for producing porcelain of superior quality. The collaboration with Eichler proved successful, and the growing influence of the porcelain manufacturer Dux also paid off. There was an exchange of technical expertise, personnel, and models, which allowed for avoiding supply constraints. As expected, both enterprises suffered setbacks with the onset of World War I; exports declined, and employees were called to the front lines. In 1917, towards the end of World War I, Hamburg businessman Ernst Karstens...He acquired a porcelain factory in Blankenhain from the company Duxer Porzellanmanufaktur AG. As soon as he took over the company, renaming it "E. Carstens KG," he added a crown and laurel wreath to the company's trademark to herald the arrival of a new era. At that time, it was difficult to obtain raw materials and fuel, and export markets had to be rebuilt. Inflation was devastating, and the company had 300 workers and 20 employees. Thanks to the introduction of new materials and price adjustments in the interests of customers, the Carstens family managed to revive the export markets. The name Carstens is associated with the emergence of famous Weimar cobalt paintings on porcelain. As early as 1926, cobalt porcelain was produced in Blankenhain, which was likely due to Carstens' good contacts with Bohemia. To this day, this method of processing and painting white ceramics is still considered a special skill. The precious festive blue cobalt gives the material a unique aura, especially when adorned with delicate gold ornaments. Products from this period are often known to collectors as Carstens China. Carstens followed artistic trends in the modern style and adapted production to the customer's wishes. At that time, Weimar porcelain was known and valued for its style in England, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, America, and the Middle East. In 1928, the trademark Weimar Porzellan was registered. It is worth noting that around this time, there were periodic strikes in the history of Weimar Porzellan. Carstens managed his company quite strictly and harshly in order to remain operational during the Great Depression, and it was the workers who paid for extremely low but necessary export prices. The longest strike in 1929 lasted three months. The most famous designer was Eva Zeisel. It was she who infused the collections of classical tableware with notes of luxury and extravagance. After Carstens' death, his widow and two sons managed the factory until it wasConfiscated and nationalized by the Soviets in July 1948, a year before the official founding of East Germany. The company's goal was to build a highly efficient and modern production facility, which led to major investments in buildings, transportation, and equipment. Due to integration with the excellent Kahla ceramics, Blankenhain lost its independence as a porcelain factory. Quality also suffered. The artistic production style was mainly adapted to the tastes of Eastern export markets, meaning a return to classical forms and patterns in order to not lose foreign currency from these markets. In 1992, the company Herbert Hillebrand Bauverwaltungs-Gesellschaft GmbH, based in Kerpen-Horrem, acquired the porcelain factory from THA Erfurt and continued to operate as "Weimar Porzellan GmbH" until the spring of 1995, being a "family company Hillebrand". In April 1995, the factory went bankrupt and was under the management of a liquidator until June 1995. In June 1995, the city of Blankenhain, together with British American Ltd. and Optima Immobilien GmbH, bought the shares of the bankrupt Weimar Porzellan. British American Ltd. and Optima Immobilien GmbH sold their shares in 1995-1996. To three managing employees of the company (financial, sales, and production) who then owned 51% of the shares. The city of Blankenhain still owned 49% of the shares of Weimar Porzellan. In 2006, Geschwister Hillebrand GmbH reacquired Weimar Porzellan, and Cathrin Hillebrand and three executives, who were already members of the Executive Board in 1995-1996, became managing directors. In January 2007, Könitz Porzellan GmbH purchased Weimar Porzellan. The current managing director and owner of the company is Turpin Rosenthal, representing the sixth generation of his family. The calling card of Weimar porcelain has always been high-quality materials and the unchanged craftsmanship of specialists. The unique quality of handwork combined with the use of innovative techniques.Advanced production technologies make this famous tableware unsurpassed in all parameters! The production of Weimar porcelain requires great dedication and skill from specialists. Each component of the porcelain formula has a special value for the quality of the material. The high content of kaolin determines its whiteness, quartz gives hardness, and the firing of feldspar provides the necessary transparency. Weimar Porcelain tableware is certified, environmentally friendly, and safe.
