KPM Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin

The Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin) has a history that is full of changes, architectural as well as economic. The porcelain was originally known as ‘white gold,’ its shiny surfaces captivating the imagination of monarchs and their subjects, not until the begin- ning of the eighteenth century was the secret formula discovered. Emperors, kings and tsars produced their own porcelain as prestigious personal projects. Today porcelain has kept a degree of its status, otherwise the KPM would hardly have been able to survive the course of history. Highly artistic porcelain products are still manufactured in the buildings between the Tiergarten park and the river Spree in Berlin, porcelain of a quality so high that it can only be found in a small number of factories in Europe. The Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur’s historical ensemble of kiln hall, clay-washing site and former pottery is among the oldest industrial buildings in Berlin. Constructed between 1869 and 1872, it was based on the design of Gustav Ferdinand Möller and built in the Berlin tradition of brick architecture. Karl Friedrich Schinkel was the godfather of this architectural style dedicated to the ’honesty’ of facades not dressed up in stucco. The amount of detail and elaborate ornamentation in brick on the facades of the KPM was striking and unusual for industrial buildings. Almost four-fifths of Möller’s factory buildings were destroyed by bombs during World War II.