Aubagne currently has around 50 workshops for ceramic production that perpetuate the two ancestral local techniques (varnished land and earthenware) and those of the santons. In addition to these workshops, the city also has a Ceramics School, the Ceramists and Santander Association of the Pays d’Aubagne and the Colombins Art Workshop. It hosts the biennial international event “Argilla”, organized by the Aix-Marseille Provence metropolis since its creation in 1991, as well as twice a year a 6-week market (summer and winter) and a Santon festival. Thanks to a collaboration with the Métropole AMP, the City has access to a rich heritage collection of more than 30,000 pieces and a historical documentary collection of private archives relating to the production of ceramics and santons in its territory.
The town of Avanos, situated in the Cappadocia region, is particularly famous for its pottery and ceramics dating back thousands of years. Avanos is part of the Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, which have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
The pottery and ceramic tradition in Avanos is deeply rooted in the local culture and has been passed down through generations. Skilled artisans continue to create beautiful and intricate pottery and ceramics using traditional techniques. The motifs and designs often draw inspiration from Cappadocia’s history, nature, and mythology. The stunning surroundings and cultural diversity have undoubtedly played a role in nurturing and preserving these artistic traditions particularly in Avanos.
Aveiro is a landscape of water, light and color offered by the Ria de Aveiro; its more than 1000 years of history and tradition lived around the urban canals, in the architectural heritage such as the baroque and mannerism, as well as in the beautiful Art Nouveau façades.
Besides the production of salt, the fishing activity, the harvesting of the moliço, Ceramics provided subsistence for centuries to a large part of coastal population and the nearby rural regions.
Today, the University of Aveiro provides training in several areas, namely in Ceramics, ensuring the continuity of secularly established international relations.
The International Biennial of Artistic Ceramic of Aveiro was created in 1989, by the will of the Aveiro City Council as organizer, with the collaboration of some local inhabitants, local artists and companies in the ceramic sector.
Bolesławiec is one of the oldest cities in south-west Poland, established as early as the late 12th century. After World War II, Polish people from the territories of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus settled in the city. This multiculturalism is now reflected in culture, art, traditions.
The cultural institutions of Bolesławiec include the Museum of Ceramics, the Bolesławiec Cultural Center – International Ceramics Center (BOK-MCC) and two Tourist Information Desks. The Department for Promotion and Development is responsible for the coordination of ceramics promotion.
Resting on natural clay deposits, Bolesławiec has become a strong European pottery complex. The production range-mainly tableware- is exported globally.
The most important cultural events include the Bolesławiec Festival of Ceramics, organized since 1994, and the annual International Ceramics and Sculpture Symposium, since 1996.
The ceramic plants in Bolesławiec cooperate closely with the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow.
ph.Grzegorz_Matoryn
Çanakkale, located along the Dardanelles in northwestern Türkiye, sits at a unique crossroads linking Europe and Asia, as well as centuries of cultural heritage and artistic expression. The city has a long-standing tradition of both artistic and industrial ceramic production. Çanakkale is among the few cities in the world whose name is closely associated with ceramics. Early examples of what is today known as traditional Çanakkale ceramics date back to the 15th century,
with production flourishing from the late 17th to the early 20th centuries, ultimately evolving into a distinctive form of folk art. Unlike architectural or monumental ceramic works, Çanakkale ceramics were created primarily as everyday household objects and decorative souvenirs.
Today, the city continues to play an important role in shaping the future of ceramics. It hosts various international events, including the International Ceramics Symposium, which brings together artists and researchers from around the world. Çanakkale is also home to Türkiye’s first Ceramics Museum and several of the country’s major ceramics manufacturers. The Traditional Çanakkale Ceramics Research and Application Center and the Çanakkale University Ceramics Department collaborate globally to preserve and advance this heritage. Meanwhile, boutique producers are revitalizing the historic city center as a new creative hub, blending tradition with contemporary ceramic design.
Ceramics have been one of the foundations in the economic and industrial development of the city of Castelló, as well as an artistic feature that permeates the city and its life in façades, squares, churches, buildings.
Institutions have included ceramics in their courses, offering a variety of training. Castelló is also committed in the organisation and participation in fairs, congresses and awards in this field, like the Ciutat de Castelló National Ceramics Prize award, created by the Castelló City Council and the Association of Ceramic Technicians in 1997.
Domestic and international tourism in Castelló addresses culture thanks to a webpage of virtuals routes to increase the awareness of the role played by ceramics in the aesthetics of the city, with different ceramic themes: traditional, modern and avant-garde.
Located in Athens, the Centre for the Study of Modern Ceramics G. Psaropoulos Family Foundation was founded in 1987. It is a museum, research and educational non-profit organization dedicated to modern and contemporary Mediterranean pottery. The foundation’s collection includes more than 5000 ceramic artifacts from the Mediterranean area, dating from the 16th to the 20th century, as well as a rich archive. Through research, artistic and educational projects the purpose is to disseminate Mediterranean pottery and achieve an interaction between traditional and contemporary art.
The fruit of these research and educational activities are the publication of books, articles in scientific journals and conference proceedings and of children’s books.
The Centre for the Study of Modern Ceramics prioritizes the collaboration between cultural institutions and network-building, to promote Greek and Mediterranean contemporary and modern pottery and make it a sustainable cultural asset.
Deruta is a beautiful village in the province of Perugia, known worldwide for its production of traditional artistic ceramics. The majesty of the ceramic production of Deruta is witnessed and contained in over 6,000 works in the Regional Museum of Ceramics of Deruta, the oldest in Italy for ceramics, established in 1898 and which has inside, a beautiful archaeological area of the ancient kilns of San Salvatore. But its grandeur is also visible in the churches, in the facades of the buildings, in the historic streets of the city. Surrounded by greenery, attentive to environmental sustainability, the city is full of characteristic shops and laboratories where you can actively live the art of creating, where tradition, contemporaneity and innovation coexist harmoniously.
In Deruta, everything talks about ceramics and you can breathe an air of creativity!
Andenne, nicknamed the City of Ceramics for centuries, holds a central place in the ceramic history of Belgium and Europe. The Espace Muséal d’Andenne (EMA) embodies this living tradition through an innovative museum dedicated to over 7,000 years of craftsmanship, artistry, and ceramic techniques.
Located in a heritage site in the heart of the city, the EMA traces the remarkable evolution of ceramic production in Andenne – from Gallo-Roman pottery to the fine faience and industrial porcelain that brought the city international renown.
UNESCO Creative City since 2025
Ph: © Sophie Bernard Photography
An italian city of etruscan-roman origins, Faenza is known worldwide for its ceramic art since the first centuries after 1000 AD. Faenza reached the peak of its artistic and technical fame in the 16th Century, during Renaissance, with its elegant “Whites of Faenza”, which influenced potters in Italy and abroad.
Since then Faenza has become the City of Ceramics par excellence, so much as its name in the French translation Faïence indicates Ceramic Art. The tradition and culture of ceramics remains the vital hub of modern Faenza with its International Ceramics Museum, containing splendid collections from all centuries and countries, its 60 artists’ workshops, the artistic and technical schools, its international events based on the traditional and contemporary production of majolica.
UNESCO Creative City since 2025
As early as 1492, “Gmundner” ceramics was mentioned in documents. Centuries of ceramics in Gmunden and the Salzkammergut, produced a large number of craftsmen and artists who gained international recognition and appreciation. The lake Traunsee holiday region has positioned itself as a cultural hotspot in Austria, with many cultural activities.
Every year in August Gmunden becomes the Mecca of ceramic arts, presenting a mix of contemporary ceramics; ceramists from Austria and abroad exhibit in Gmunden’s galleries and temporary locations. The biannual Ceramic Symposium brings European ceramic artists together with international experts for a 5 week residency.
The K-Hof Museum offers a chronological cross section of Gmunden and the Traunsee district’s history from geological beginnings to 21st century.
credit: Wolfgang Ladin
Beautifully located, in the middle of Germany, high above the river Rhine in the lower Westerwald Höhr-Grenzhausen ceramics open up to the whole range of pots, tureens, plates and cups from the beginnings to the color, shapes and variety of today‘s ceramic art objects.
Whether in the modern spacious museum building the Ceramics Museum Westerwald, in the “Trend Barometer“ Kultur-Kasino or in the more than 30 ceramics studios on site, visitors can explore ceramics. At the beginning of April “Höhr-Grenzhausen burns ceramics“ is a special Open-Day of the ceramic workshops. Every year in June Höhr- Grenzhausen turns into a ceramics market, with 150 ceramics producers from all over Europe
Höhr- Grenzhausen also offers fine gastronomy, wellness areas or walking tours through the beautiful nature and the extensive forests that surround the City.
UNESCO Creative City since 2025
The ceramic tiles produced in İznik (historic Nicaea) during the 15 and 16th centuries represent the cultural and artistic zenith of the Ottoman Empire. The main principle of the Foundation is to revive the traditional art of tile making and with this purpose instituted an ongoing research phase in 1995. The successful research and investigations are conducted by institutions such as Istanbul University, Istanbul Technical University and TÜBİTAK.
The Foundation consists of three units: Iznik Training and Education Foundation, Istanbul; Iznik Ceramic Research Centre, Iznik; Iznik Tiles and Ceramic Corporation, Istanbul & Iznik.
The founding aims of the Iznik Training and Education Foundation are to publicize the culture and artistic assets of Iznik, to systematize both existing and new information regarding the traditional art of Iznik tile, and to pass this knowledge on to the future generations.
Projects around the world have integrated İznik tiles into both public and private architectural settings. Production includes durable quartz tiles for construction as well as finely crafted ceramic pieces that enhance everyday life. Global promotion of İznik tiles continues through scientific, cultural, and social initiatives such as research, exhibitions, and international collaborations, ensuring this unique heritage remains widely appreciated
The municipalities of Gennep, Beesel and Venlo, together with Keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur, form a ceramic region in the south-east of the Netherlands. Along the River Maas, clay has been used for pottery, bricks, roof tiles and ceramic art for centuries.
Visitors can explore historic and modern ceramics at the Tiendschuur in Tegelen, visit De Oude Pottenbakkerij in Milsbeek and Museum Het Petershuis in Gennep. The region also hosts lively international ceramic markets in Milsbeek and Swalmen. In Beesel and Tegelen, the rich ceramic heritage can still be seen everywhere — from charming streets to the iconic factory chimneys that once powered the industry and today remain important local landmarks.
Throughout its rich history, Kütahya has earned a reputation for its ceramics and coloured tiles, known as “çini". Often referred to as "flowers that bloom in fire", Kütahya tiles are celebrated for their vibrant and intricate designs. The roots of Kütahya ceramics can be traced back to ancient Anatolia, where pottery-making flourished under civilisations such as the Hittites, Phrygians, Romans and Byzantines. Tile production in Kutahya remains deeply rooted in artisanal craftsmanship. The patterns of Kütahya sohowcase the cultural richness and artistic excellence of the region. Geographically, Kütahya's fertile land and abundant underground resources have provided an ideal environment for the flourishing of ceramic and tile-making traditions. Recognised as a UNESCO Creative City in 2017 for its contributions to crafts and folk art, Kütahya today continues to be a vibrant centre of ceramic artistry.
UNESCO Creative City since 2017
The City of Limoges is strongly linked with fire arts. Enamel, porcelain and stained glass constitute an outstanding industrial and craft heritage. Limoges has been recognized by UNESCO in 2017 as the 1st Creative City crafts and folk arts cluster in France. 250 years of porcelain creation are recognized and protected by a geographical indication.
120 industrial, technology transfer professionals, research and training, strategic and constitutional actors constitute the ceramics competitiveness pole. 450 researchers, teachers, technicians and doctoral students gathered at the European Center of Ceramics (IRCER). 4 leading training institutions: ENSA National Art School of Art, ENSCI National High School of Ceramics; High School of Art cratf of Mas-Jambost, AFPI Limousin Industry Vocational Training Association. 6 fire arts exhibition sites: National Museum Adrien Dubouché, Museum of Beaux- Arts, Bernardaud Foundation, Casseaux Museum, Limoges Conservatory of technical arts, Foundation Havilland.
The Malta Crafts Foundation is a public organisation established in 2021, dedicated to enabling the preservation, appreciation and sustainability of Maltese artisanal products and skills.
Its mission is to generate national and international awareness towards Maltese artisanship through educational and promotional efforts, and to stimulate innovation by nurturing an ecosystem which allows artisans to embrace current challenges and transform them into opportunities to ensure the sustainability of the artisan sector, particularly traditional crafts.
The Foundation provides extensive support to craftspersons, in order to safeguard their interests and entrepreneurial value as custom manufacturers.
It is guided in its work by three main pillars:Promotion, Education, and Innovation; all of which are key in order to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the local artisan sector.
Manises has been associated with ceramics craft work from its earliest days. Almost 700 years of uninterrupted ceramic activity have left the mark on the tradition, festivities, monuments and urban landscape.
The city boasts several exhibition halls and museums: the Manises Ceramics Museum counts a collection of over 5,500 pieces: lustre paint produced between the 14th and 16th centuries; baroque polychrome tiles; multicoloured tiles from the beginning of the 20th century along with the ceramics of the modernist period, etc. Currently, the ceramic sector covers the different areas of craftsmanship, businesses and auxiliary businesses, as well as workshops, associations and training centres.
The city offers a broad programme of activities related to ceramics, like the Ceramics Festival and Parade and the International Ceramics Biennial.
Manises is a member of AeCC (Spanish Association of Cities of Ceramics).
UNESCO Creative City since 2021
Modra is historically linked with ceramics, which is present in Modra public spaces, museums and home interiors. The decor of Modran products is based on Haban faience and after the breakdown of the traditional life of the Haban people, it was influenced by local folk motifs: the products have characteristic shapes and patterns. After the demise of the ceramic centers in western Slovakia, it absorbed the entire western Slovak ornamentalism into the decoration and thus became a synonym for Slovak ceramics in general.
In addition to traditional ceramics, Modra also produced modern pieces of ceramics designed by professional artists. These activities are carried out in Modra to this day, realized by Slovak Folk Majolica through regular artist symposiums and workshops attended by artists and students of ceramics from Slovakia and abroad.
The Yosaphat Kobrynskyi National Museum of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttia Folk Art is one of the most prominent Ukrainian institutions that research, preserve and promote traditional folk art of the Carpathian region.
Founded in 1926, the Museum’s collection includes more than 50 000 artifacts, such as wood carving, artistic leather and metal work, ceramics, traditional folk costumes, embroidery, woven textiles, and jewelry, Easter eggs, painting and sacred art. The oldest samples include sacred art objects, dating to the 17th-19th centuries, which were the parts of Hutsul churches. A traditional Hutsul house is also put on display in the museum. The personal belongings of Andriy Chaikovskyi, the famous Ukrainian writer, lawyer, political and civil activist whose heritage was neglected by the Soviets make a valuable part of the museum exhibition.
Thanks to its location and climate, Onda’s economic activity has been based on two main sectors: agriculture and ceramics. There are currently 71 tile factories and 6 artisan ceramic workshops, all of which work with ceramic pieces and two hand-paint on ceramic tiles. This ceramic tradition has given rise to the Manolo Safont Tile Museum, which houses a ceramic collection of more than 28,000 pieces from all periods and numerous ethnological and industrial objects.
The ceramic tradition can also be seen in the streets of Onda, where some of the most recent examples are the restoration of the old ceramic factory “La Campaneta”; the creation of a ceramic mural that covers one of the main façades of the Municipal Market, depicting the journey of a product “from the field to the table”; or the renovation of the “Trencadis” tunnel.
Pottery is considered the oldest and most widespread craft in Petrinja, thanks to the area’s rich deposits of high-quality red-toned clay and the mastery of local craftsmen. For centuries, pottery has shaped the town’s identity, and since 1775, Petrinja’s potters have been organized in a pottery guild that safeguarded and passed down their skills through generations. Today, this heritage continues to thrive through various cultural events held during the summer months. Among them, FLIK – Pottery and Ceramics Festival has become a key moment of celebration. Organized by the Petrinja Tourist Board and the Ceramics Studio Petrinja (GRAK Association), it brings together artists, professionals, and enthusiasts from across Croatia and beyond. Held at the Town Beach, the festival combines exhibitions, creative workshops, and community gatherings, promoting pottery as both an essential part of Petrinja’s cultural heritage and a living art that continues to inspire creativity and connection.
Pottery in Crete is an art with a long history of 8,000 years which is important to preserve, evolve and be exploited as a living part of its material and intangible cultural heritage. Pottery has been associated with the island's economy over time and in the modern world can emerge as a pillar of sustainable development, combining the wealth of tradition with modern practices and innovative approaches.
Educational development Ploigos was founded in 1995 in Heraklion and soon developed activities throughout Crete. Through the actions of the company, where productive entities participate, it has developed significant activity in the fields of handicrafts, cottage industry, agri-food and in the implementation of landscape policies.
One of the projects implemented by Ploigos concerns the "Promotion, rescue, Development, of the artisanal micro-business activity in Crete", which aims to empower people who are professionally or amateurishly engaged in manual folk arts of the place, such as The Art of pottery-Pottery.
The north-east of Bavaria is, as it has been for more than 100 years, the most important porcelain region in Germany and even Europe. In the centre is the Porzellanikon, a state museum with two locations in Selb and Hohenberg a. d. Eger with an exhibition area of 10,000 m². It presents the traditions of German porcelain since the foundation of the Meissener Manufaktur, illustrates the successes on the world market that have continued to this day, and presents the design developments of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Europe’s largest porcelain collection offer a unique view of 300 years of European cultural history, beauty, elegance. In the museum in Selb, a former porcelain factory of Rosenthal, the production of white gold is explained and demonstrated in authentic workplaces, from the elaborate manual work by the skilled and knowledgeable porcelain workers to the highly developed computer-controlled production today. The “Mythos Rosenthal”, the history of this world-famous company, is presented in
The Porcelain Route runs through this region, porcelain can be found in the streetscape, big events like the annual Porcelain Festival in Selb in August attract tens of thousands of people to this beautiful low mountain landscape.
Housed in the 18th-century city palace of Leeuwarden, the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics is the biggest ceramics museum in the Netherlands.
Both the collection and the museum were initiatives of the collector Nanne Ottema who was granted permission to use the former palace of Princess Mary Louise van Hessen by the municipality of Leeuwarden in 1917. The city palace of Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel, Princess of Orange Nassau, ancestor to King Willem-Alexander, is located in Leeuwarden’s historic city centre.
The Museum has the largest and most varied collection of Chinese porcelain of the country and a rich collection of the Dutch Art Nouveau and Art Deco ceramics from the period 1880-1930. The collections of Chinese Imperial porcelain, Art Nouveau and iconic Delft Blue objects and works by artists such as Picasso, show that ceramics are of all times and of all ages.
In addition to the permanent exhibition From East and West, the museum has a lively programme of varying exhibitions.
The development of pottery in the island is mainly due to the abundance of refractory clay, mixed with the availability of rainwater, suitable fuel, and a mild climate, as well as to the exceptional dexterity and skills of the Sifnian craftsmen in the art of processing the clay, which has been passed from generation to generation through the centuries.
Sifnos certainly stands out as the most authentic island of the Cyclades. In 2021, the ceramics of Sifnos became part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Since 2001, with the foundation of the “Sifnian Potters’ Association”, efforts in the preservation and continuation of the craft have been increased. Nowadays there are 16 pottery workshops on the island employing about 30 artisans.
UNESCO Creative City since 2025
Ceramics is one of the most ancient and widespread crafts in Azerbaijan. Today it is the city of Sheki which has kept the traditions alive. Sheki’s historical center has been recently inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The combination of geo-climatic location of this ancient city, offering an array of raw materials – clay, timber, river stone and the rich traditions passing down through generations have facilitated the development of different crafts, including pottery.
The Center for Ceramics and Applied Arts was created to revive the art and craft of ceramic sand popularize the different types of clay and ceramic traditions from this region in the world. The First International Ceramics Symposium was held at the ABAD Center for Ceramics and Applied Art in Sheki in 2019.
Talavera de la Reina is located in the fertile confluence of the Tagus and Alberche rivers. Alfonso XI gave it as a wedding gift to Maria of Portugal when he married her in 1328 and Talavera has been called “de la Reina” (of the queen) ever since.
Ceramics in Talavera is known since the 12th century, imported from China and started as a craft by Muslim potters. In 1575 Talavera ceramics received the royal patronage and started to trade through Spain. Ever since, Talavera has been known as ‘City of Ceramics’.
Currently, it counts with several workshops which can be visited, to see the handicraft process of making ceramics. Talavera hosts the Museo Ruiz de Luna, with classic and modern ceramcs together along a section dedicated to Ruiz de Luna, the renowned ceramic artist of the city.
A 110 year-old cultural history museum, it includes a number of museums within the Telemark County. The Porcelain Museum is the latest new department, established in 2015 and situated in Porsgrunn, with both permanent and temporary exhibitions, ceramics workshop and a gift shop.
The museum offers visitors an insight into ongoing porcelain production as well as the history of Norwegian porcelain design. The production facility at Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik is in the same building as the Porcelain Museum. Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik, Established in 1885 by Johann Jeremiassen has been producing porcelain since 1887, becoming the leading and only porcelain manufacturer in Norway.
The Porcelain Museum offers guided tours around the city and in the factory`s production hall.
The museum has a cooperation with University in South-Eastern Norway and many local artists and craftsmen.
Ph. Stina Glommi
Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is a unique cultural heritage site created on the former Zsolnay porcelain factory grounds in Pécs, Hungary. Founded in 1853, the Zsolnay manufactory became internationally renowned for its innovative ceramics, including the iridescent eosin glaze and pyrogranite architectural ceramics, which influenced European Art Nouveau and architectural decoration across the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Today, the quarter preserves and presents this exceptional ceramic heritage through permanent exhibitions, historic industrial buildings and the Zsolnay Látványmanufaktúra, where visitors can observe live ceramic shaping and eosin painting. The site combines ceramic heritage, craftsmanship, education and contemporary culture within a vibrant cultural environment.
LINKS
CONTACTS
info@europeanrouteofceramics.eu
stradaeuropeaceramica@pec.it (certified email address)
Associazione “Strada Europea della Ceramica” Head office: Piazza del Popolo 31, 48018, Faenza (RA), Italy C.F. 90036800390
