Porcelain coffee cup decorated with platinum – Rudolf Kampf

Exceptional design combined with the highest quality materials embodies the essence of Rudolf Kämpf manufactory. It is a tribute to true porcelain, which has been admired for centuries and evokes a love for beautiful objects.

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 ringing sound. Another distinctive trait of Rudolf Kämpf’s factory is its preservation of craftsmanship. While most producers now rely on automated processes, Rudolf Kämpf porcelain is handcrafted to offer superior quality products. Rudolf Kämpf is the only factory in the Czech Republic where porcelain is made by hand. This also grants exclusivity to its production. Rudolf Kämpf porcelain manufactory typically produces limited editions or unique pieces. Surely, you will agree that this approach ensures high value for a collection of porcelain products.

Rudolf Kämpf believes that his greatest asset is high-quality experts. Thanks to talented master artisans, the Rudolf Kämpf brand confidently explores creative experiments and seamlessly transitions 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 company 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, exclusive presentation vases from Rudolf Kämpf have been awarded 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 porcelain manufactory in 2008 to the Museum of the Army in Paris.

Since Rudolf Kämpf’s concept includes not only exclusive porcelain sets, vases, and other interior accessories but also more affordable products, the manufactory operates under various 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 crafted by hand and industrially, designed with a modern contemporary style

Custom Production - Design Your Own Collection

The second hallmark of the brand is custom projects for individual clients. Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory can realize any demanding design, including creating one-of-a-kind collections, with the client obtaining 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 unique collection items enhance table settings or serve as refined interior decorations. Porcelain by Rudolf Kämpf, made to a special design and marked with a gift emblem or monogram, can also be an elegant 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

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

In 1907, American Benjamin Franklin Hunt obtained permission to build a porcelain factory. In 1909, the porcelain 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 not only to high-quality raw materials but also to export opportunities. The porcelain production technology at that time was certainly different from previous methods (raw materials were transported by horse-drawn wagons, railway cars, etc.), but its quality was already excellent, so products from Czech porcelain under the Rudolf Kämpf brand began exporting to countries renowned for their porcelain, such as Germany, France, Hungary, England, and others.

Rudolf Kämpf died in 1918, and his share was divided among his widow Josefine Kämpf, daughter Antonia Kümmelmenn, and son Hans Kämpf, who took over the family business. In the 1920s, 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 meant a gradual reorientation of the factory towards Germany and the loss of other foreign clients. After the war, 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 led to an influx of investments, which allowed the factory to acquire the latest equipment. It was then that Rudolf Kämpf factory began producing famous sets made from molds such as Mary Anne (Jiří Laštovička) and Sabin (Aleš Trpkoš).

In 1992, Rudolf Kämpf porcelain factory was acquired by the Czech company Leander 1946 s.r.o., and it was named 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.

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