Beautiful Czech porcelain cup with light blue decoration – variant 2 – Leander

Exceptional design combined with the highest quality materials showcases the craftsmanship of Rudolf Kämpf. This is a tribute to true porcelain, which has fascinated and inspired a love for beautiful objects for centuries.

The Czech porcelain manufactory Rudolf Kämpf has been producing high-quality hard porcelain for over 100 years, which differs significantly from bone china, currently produced by many European companies. Notable features include durability, heat and acid resistance, impermeability, transparency, and the sound of ringing. Another distinctive trait of Rudolf Kämpf's factory is the preservation of handcrafted production. While most manufacturers rely on automated processes today, Rudolf Kämpf’s porcelain is made by hand to ensure top quality. Rudolf Kämpf is the only factory in the Czech Republic where porcelain is handcrafted. This also grants exclusivity to the produced items. The Rudolf Kämpf porcelain manufactory typically produces limited editions or unique pieces. Surely you will agree that this approach ensures high value for porcelain collections.

Rudolf Kämpf believes that his greatest asset is the team of highly skilled experts. Thanks to talented masters, the Rudolf Kämpf brand confidently explores creative experiments, seamlessly transitioning from Romanesque style through Art Deco to Futurism. Therefore, Rudolf Kämpf’s production is not only refined but also distinctive.

It is no coincidence that Rudolf Kämpf porcelain products attract the attention of celebrities. The brand is proud that its clients include not only prominent figures from Russian-speaking countries but also fashion designer Pierre Cardin and many others. Rudolf Kämpf’s luxury products are often given as gifts to high-ranking individuals. For example, special presentation vases from Rudolf Kämpf have been dedicated at various times to notable personalities such as U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton (1994), Czech President Václav Havel (1996), King Harald V of Norway (1997), and Pope John Paul II (1998). One handcrafted vase depicting Napoleon Bonaparte was gifted by Rudolf Kämpf in 2008 to the Museum of the Army in Paris.

Since Rudolf Kämpf’s concept encompasses not only exclusive porcelain sets, vases, and interior accessories but also more affordable products, the manufactory operates under different brands, namely:

Rudolf Kämpf - luxury handcrafted porcelain

LEANDER - high-quality porcelain produced both by hand and industrially for everyday use

Leander-fresh - high-quality porcelain made by hand and industrially, focused on modern contemporary design

Custom Production - Design Your Own Collection

The second hallmark of the brand is custom projects for individual clients. Rudolf Kämpf’s porcelain factory can realize any demanding design, including creating one-of-a-kind collections, with the client holding rights to the collection for 50 years or more. Owning an exclusive, custom-made porcelain collection is a luxury in itself. If the piece bears a logo, monogram, or family crest, it also signifies a special status. Therefore, business and political leaders, celebrities, and even monarchs from around the world often turn to Rudolf Kämpf.

After commissioning such a unique porcelain item, the client receives a factory certificate guaranteeing that this piece will never be produced for anyone else. These distinctive collection elements enhance table decor or serve as refined interior ornaments. Porcelain from Rudolf Kämpf, made to a special design and marked with a gift or monogram, can also be a luxurious gift for a loved one. If you have any questions about exclusive individual porcelain pieces, logo items, heraldic symbols, or gift inscriptions, please contact us.

History

The Czech village of Loučky (until 1918 - Grünlas, since 1961 part of the city Nové Sedlo), home to the Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory, is located in the heart of the Karlovy Vary region. The tradition of porcelain production developed in this area thanks to deposits of high-quality kaolin. The Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory, with its over 100-year history, continues this tradition.

In 1907, American Benjamin Franklin Hunt received permission to build a porcelain factory. In 1909, the factory was sold to two Rudolfs—Dieterlow and Kämpf—who in 1911 established the company Porzellanfabrik Rudolf Kämpf G.m.b.H., Grünlas, and chose a crown with three letters RGK (Rudolf - Grünlas - Kämpf). This marked the creation of a factory producing first-class porcelain tableware and hand-painted porcelain accessories. Thanks to its exceptional location, the factory had access to high-quality raw materials and the ability to export its porcelain products. The porcelain production technology at that time was certainly different from previous methods (raw materials were transported by horse-drawn wagons, trains, etc.), but its quality was already excellent, so products from the Czech Rudolf Kämpf porcelain brand were exported to countries renowned for porcelain, such as Germany, France, Hungary, and England.

Rudolf Kämpf died in 1918, and his share was divided among his widow Josefine Kämpf, daughter Antoni Kümmelmenn, and son Hans Kämpf, who began managing the family business. In the 1920s, the Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory experienced a true boom: production reached over 2 million items annually, with about 85% exported. The company was one of the first to introduce new color ranges, including pink, blue, green, and ivory.

World War II led to a gradual reorientation of the factory towards Germany and the loss of other foreign clients. After the war, the Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory was nationalized and became part of the Czechoslovak state enterprise Slavkovský porcelán, later incorporated into the state enterprise Karlovarský porcelán. In the same year, the company had the honor of representing Czechoslovakia’s porcelain industry at the World Fair in Montreal, Canada. This incredible international success attracted investments, enabling the factory to acquire the latest equipment. It was then that Rudolf Kämpf’s factory began producing the famous sets made from molds by Jiří Laštovička (Mary Anne) and Aleš Trpkoš (Sabin).

In 1992, the Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory was acquired by the Czech company Leander 1946 s.r.o., operating under the name Leander. The Leander porcelain manufactory gained worldwide fame as a producer of decorative porcelain, often hand-painted and decorated with gemstones. Since 2006, the company has been owned by the Czech holding CS Investment, which restored the factory’s name to that of its founder—Rudolf Kämpf.

Manufacturer information