Gmunden the pottery town
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Gmunden the pottery town

From lead-glazed, clay crockery to the famous, green-fired design

The town archive mentions a potter or Hafner as early as 1492. Hafner applies to any artisan who creates utensils from clay, glazes them and renders them durable in an oven. In 1594 there are already seven master potters, in 1625 they acquire their own crafts code.

The glaze for crockery and other objects is initially made from lead, from the 17th century this is replaced by a white, tin glaze. In all likelihood it is this white background that gives the Gmunden master potters the idea of decorating their creations with paint. The now famous Gmunden green-fired design comes into being at this time. The workshop founded by Franz and Emilie Schleiß in 1843 is recognised as the centre of ceramic art in Gmunden. From 1909 renowned ceramicists such as Franz von Zülow, Dagobert Peche and Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel are at work here, their pieces putting the town by the Traunsee on the map.

You can admire some especially fine examples of ceramic art from Gmunden not only in the image above but at the Gmunden Kammerhofmuseums. Here can be found the world’s only museum for historical sanitary objects with interesting and original stories from the powder room.

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