Porcelain history

Lorenz Reichel founded a porcelain painter shop which later-on
became Schirnding AG. White ware was produced there as of 1904.
Its main shareholder was Martin Zehendner (joint owner of Porcelain
Factory Mitterteich AG), who in 1927, transferred his majority of shares to factory owners Wilhelm and Heinrich Seltmann from Weiden.
Porcelain Factory Schirnding AG has had a close cooperation for
Bone China ware with English Royal Stafford China Ltd (Stoke-on-
Trent) since 1991. The crisis of the 1990s forced the porcelain producer to merge with J. Kronester GmbH (Schwarzenbach a. d. Saale) and Johann Seltmann GmbH (Vohenstrauß) in 1993 to become SKVPorzellan-Union GmbH.
In 2000, the company acquired the tradition-steeped design brand
Arzberg from the insolvency estate of Winterling AG (Kirchenlamitz),
and in 2004 operated as Arzberg-Porzellan GmbH which today is
part of Sambonet Paderno Industrie S.p.A. There has been no porcelain production in Schirnding since 2013.

Places to visit

Schirnding, located between Fichtelgebirge and the Bohemian basin,
is characterized by border traffic and the former inner German border.
Get an impression at the Bavarian Border Museum of the time
of the Cold War and then experience at Schirnding’s Künstlerhaus
(House of the Artists) their cross-border creative work, featuring various exhibitions and cultural events. From and via Schirnding, you will reach the Porcelain Route’s Czech part.

  • Historic wellhouse Buchbrunnen at historic border triangle (Brandenburg, Chur Pfalz, Waldsassen & Eger)
  • Kohlwald forest with mountain Kohlberg (also called "Zuckerhut")