Selb - follow the trail of the White Gold
Categories: Sightseeing, Cultural and History
Selb is situated on the border to the Czech Republic in the Fichtelgebirge, 23 km southeast of Hof (Hof vacation rentals | Hof travel guide), in Upper Franconia. This town was first mentioned in 1281 and became a part of the state Bavaria on the 30th of June 1810.
Lorenz Hutschenreuther changed the history of Selb (Selb vacation rentals | Selb travel guide) in 1857 when he founded the first Porcelain Factory. Only 7 years later the new railway section between Hof and Eger (Cheb, on the Czech side of the border) was completed and a fast industrialization process was set into motion. In the coming years also Rosenthal opened his first factory and is proud looking back to its own, nearly 130 year's old history in Selb.
Porcelain is the theme wherever you look around in Selb. Start at the Martin-Luther-Square which features a newly designed Porcelain Fountain by manufacturer Barbara Flügel. Over 45,000 blue, turquoise, white and gold porcelain tiles are blended in a precious mosaic. Walk on porcelain in the Porcelain-Alleyway, explore the many shops or listen to the chimes at the Town Hall. In the Schiller-Street you will discover another outstanding Porcelain Fountain, designed by Hans Achtziger und Erich Höfer.
Other landmarks of Selb are the world's biggest Coffee pot at the entrance to the town and the Hundertwasser-Office-Tower.
Wherever you mention the name Rosenthal in the world, people will connect it with luxury and finest tabletop culture, so don't miss the opportunity to visit the Rosenthal Museum!
The Museum is located in the original factory of Rosenthal and displays the legendary product lines and the highlights designed by famous artists such as Walter Gropius, Salvador Dali, Niki de St Phalle, Günther Uecker. They all were inspired by Rosenthal and came to Selb to contribute even further to their success which is best defined by a mixture of Art, Design and Lifestyle.
With Philip Rosenthal way back in the 1950's this company became a pioneer of contemporary product design. A new Rosenthal campaign was lounged in 2008 with the slogan EGO - The Karl Lagerfeld Selection Exclusively for Rosenthal
. Karl Lagerfeld is not only famous for his work for fashion houses but also as a photographer. He believes that Rosenthal in Selb is a part of German legacy and in his work he displayed Rosenthal porcelain from a fresh and unusual perspective.
The Rosenthal Museum is part of the Porzellanikon Selb.
The other 2 Museums are the Europäisches Industrie Museum für Porzellan
and Europäisches Museum für Technische Keramik
.
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Location, Map, and Driving Directions
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Admission
Ticket prices range from 5-7 Euros for a single ticket to 10-14 Euros for a family ticket. English guided tours are available at a ticket price of 35 Euros.
Opening Hours
Opening times are from Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by arrangement.
About this Article
This travel guide has been written by Monika Petra.
In her own words: When children are born they receive certain gifts to put them to good use or not. In my cradle there must have been at least music and the curiosity for the world we live in. Luckily I could combine those gifts eventually. My live as a jazz vocalist guided me to see and experience many places in Germany and far beyond. As in my music I like to dive in the historical background of given facts, simply to understand the present. During my travel, my circles got wider and wider and since many years I am now living in Thailand, very interesting to say the least. I grew up in Paderborn, lived and studied Jazz in Cologne's Musikhochschule
and worked a while in Bayreuth and Kulmbach. My travels throughout Germany took me to all major cities and small towns. It was the people and local differences, be it language, food, traditions and customs, which made it a lot of fun. When finally the wall
came down, I was one of those in Berlin posing on the rests of it for the camera. Off course I took the first opportunity to rediscover the new
but old states of Germany and finally understood the impact the wall had on all Germans and in regards to the worst part in German history. Being a German
living abroad, I discovered in years what I value most about Germany. Rest assured it is a country of rich cultural background still alive today. I visit my home country regularly and stay in touch with my friends, even those back from school. Another thing I always felt passionate about is writing and sharing my experience and thoughts. The internet provides us all with a great opportunity to connect, tell stories, read and learn from others and grow as a global community.
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