Near Lichtenfels, in Schney, a village which in former times belonged
to a knighthood, local Lord Brockendorff recruited Johann G. C. A.
Martin, an expert for the formula of porcelain, for the establishment
of a porcelain factory. The business founded in 1782 grew rapidly,
after Schney in 1806 had become part of Bavaria and temporarily
possessed a subsidiary in Tirschenreuth. In 1874, the factory was sold
by the founder’s descendants to businessmen probably coming from
Thuringia, and it was taken over in 1923 by Veilsdorf Monastery and
closed in 1928.

The largest known collection of Schney porcelain is shown at the
municipal museum located in an old villa of former directors. The
house also focuses on the basket industry for which the town has
been a centre since the middle of the 19th century. You may enter
into the German basket town’s craftsman tradition on the occasion
of the annual Lichtenfels basket market in September, in local basket
shops or during a wickerwork course.