Leander
One of the most popular brands producing Czech porcelain is Leander, one of the two surviving manufactories in the country. For more than a hundred years, this brand has been producing products focused on the originality of shapes, unique decor and, of course, on the undoubtedly high level of product quality.
Back in 1907, the Chouchka City Council, assessing the prospects of the project, gave permission for the construction of a porcelain manufactory by the American Benjamin Hunt.
It is worth noting that obtaining a permit of this kind by a foreigner is an incredible rarity at that time. There are claims that some of the most influential people in the state contributed to this acquisition, in whose interests it was the appearance of a porcelain manufactory in it. Thus, it was planned to identify it as a worthy competitor to existing porcelain manufacturers in Europe.
The owners of the company have established a very high-level workflow. In addition, success and popularity were gained quickly enough, which contributed to its definition of a leader in the production of solid porcelain of the highest quality.
The trademark acquired the name RKG in 1911. At that time, the company was already strikingly different from its existing competitors. The direction of production was the creation of porcelain that was completely exclusive, both in terms of shapes and decor. This was the main components of the company's success.
Abroad, they were also able to assess the quality of the porcelain produced. By the way, the export of the produced amount was 86%. The list of countries included the Netherlands, America, Poland, Romania, Austria and many other countries, the number of which was constantly increasing on this list. Especially interesting was the fact that the company's porcelain tableware was exported to those countries that already had many high-class porcelain factories, for example, France, Hungary, Germany, England. And this, undoubtedly, was once again an extremely vivid indicator of the true quality of RKG porcelain.
1936 was marked by a real boom in production, numbering about 2 million units per year. And this was due to the fact that the factory was one of the first to start producing porcelain in new colors, among which are pink, blue, ivory and green porcelain dishes.
After the end of the Second World War, the manufactory underwent changes related to the change of power. The company was not only nationalized, but also became part of the Slavovsky porcelain concern, and since 1958 it has also become part of a state–controlled enterprise - "Karlovy Vary porcelain".
The company constantly collaborated with the best Czech craftsmen, which bore fruit in this direction. For example, the Nefertiti uniform, which was the result of the development by the specialists of this plant, was recognized as one of the most prestigious organizations at that time, the Center for Industrial Design. The year 1958 was marked by special trust on the part of the state, which was manifested in the representation of the Czech porcelain industry at the world exhibition held in Montreal.
The success here resulted in the interest that arose in the company, as well as attracted additional investments from the state. From that moment on, the already popular manufactory secretly acquired the title of the pride of the country. New equipment was purchased here. Further production made it possible to firmly retain the enterprise as an advanced enterprise in the region.
At the same time, the manufactory began the production of sets, which are now the most popular and legendary. Their forms were based on Mari Anne and Sabina (authors Jiri Lastovicka and Ales Tripkos, respectively).
Since 1990, the production of pink porcelain and sets began, the basis of which was the Sonata form. To date, they have proven themselves to be a kind of business card of the company.
November 1992 was marked by such an event as the acquisition of another company, called Leander 1946 S.R.O., after which the first acquired the name corresponding to its new owner. In the manufactured products, Leander begins to use decoration with precious metals, which endow the products with incredible chic, as well as to use original technologies of an artistic nature.
A little later, new forms are released, such as Amis, Svetlana, Felicie, Secese, as well as more modern forms – Kelt, Tereza.
2007 was the year the company was sold to a new owner, who successfully continued the development of traditions for the creation of high-quality decorative porcelain. The beginning of 2008 was marked by an absolute modernization in terms of technical equipment, after which the manufactory became the most modern enterprise in this regard in the Czech Republic.
The manufactory has been producing solid high-quality porcelain for more than a hundred years, now supplied to Russia, European countries, the UAE, the USA, Algeria and others.
The basis of Leander's production is orientation towards the production of white decorative porcelain, as well as a variety of pink porcelain products. Modern decorating methods include not only a commitment to them, but also to decorating with platinum and gold.
Leander also actively executes orders from the largest international companies and well-known personalities for the production of individual hand-painted products, such as collections of tableware with a corporate logo, coat of arms or monogram of the customer.
Today, Leander is the most famous brand in the production of porcelain, which is respected by the whole world. This reason is confirmed by the fact that Czech porcelain Leander is also in the collections of monarchs, celebrities, business and political elite.
