History
Happening In Herend...
...And Around The World
2023
The Manufactory completes the most successful financial year in its recent history
Two Hungarian researchers receive the Nobel Prize
2022
The Herend Porcelain Manufactory and Aston Martin Budapest enter into a strategic partnership, which is brought to life by the common values of their products.
70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
Her longest reign in the history of the British monarchy exceeds that of Queen Victoria by more than six years.
2021
Virtual tour from Palais Herend, Budapest,
where the novelties of 2021 can be viewed interactively.
Successful flight on Mars
Arriving aboard the NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover, Mars helicopter Ingenuity makes a successful flight. (This makes it the first man-made device to fly on another planet.)
2020
Phoenix bird, a symbol of rebirth
Herend masters create the Phoenix bird, which is also impressive in size.
Global pandemic
2019
In the spirit of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory’s social engagement
The Herend Porcelain Manufactory inaugurates two exclusive public works of art of impressive size and design in the renewed József nádor tér in Budapest and in Veszprém.
500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death
2018
The world’s largest Herend brand store
The Herend Porcelain Manufactory proudly opens the world’s largest Herend brand store (more than 500 square meters) Palais Herend in Budapest.
Longest total lunar eclipse in the 21st century
2017
Exhibitions in Japan’s top cities
Exhibitions of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory are opened in Japan’s top cities, among others in Osaka, displaying exclusive material.
89th Academy Awards (Oscars) ceremony
At 89th Academy Awards (Oscars) ceremony, Sing (Mindenki), a film by Kristóf Deák wins the Oscar in the category Best Live Action Short Film.
2016
190th anniversary of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory
In honour of the 190th anniversary of the founding of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory, a gift to the Hungarian Nation, a beautifully executed, unique ornamental vase painted with the portrait of Ferenc Liszt and the building of the Academy of Music Budapest, is placed in the building of the Academy of Music Budapest.
Bob Dylan receives Nobel Prize in Literature
To the great surprise, the Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded in 2016 to musician Bob Dylan for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.
2015
"Herend's future is its past"
Herend Porcelain Manufactory operates today as the world's largest porcelain manufactory and as a profitable enterprise. Herend achieves the balance of tradition and innovation passing on its 19th Century traditions into the 21st Century.
Total solar eclipse over Europe
The North Sea basin is shadowed by a total solar eclipse.
2014
New 3D movie at the Minimanufactory
A new 3D movie introduces the guided tour at the Herend Minimanufactory.
Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Space probe Rosetta’s lander Philae touches down on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet nucleus.
2013
Gift for the Royal Baby
Hungary presents a Herend porcelain set as official gift to the newborn British Crown Prince George.
A new island is born at Japan’s coasts
As a result of volcanic processes a new island emerges from the Pacific Ocean a thousand kilometers south of Tokyo.
2012
Inauguration of Dr. Ferenc Mádl’s bust
The bust of the former President of Hungary and the former President of the Manufactory’s Board is inaugurated in the Manufactory’s courtyard in October under patronage of the President of Hungary János Áder.
BASE jumping record
Austrian BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner jumps from a height of 39 km.
2011
Herend in the Comité Colbert
Herend is chosen as Hungary’s sole representative in the prestigious French luxury brand association Comité Colbert.
Pope John Paul II is to be canonised
On May 1 the world-famous late Pope John Paul II is to be beatified. This will also pave the way for his canonisation.
2010
A huge vase is made for the upcoming Presidency
A huge vase was made in honour of the upcoming Hungarian Presidency. The vase stands one-metre high, and weighs nearly 25 kilograms. Amongst the Victoria décor's green flowers and butterflies, excerpts from European Union member states' national anthems can be read.
The iPad is unveiled
Launched as the iPad in San Francisco, the wildly anticipated Apple tablet-PC lacks a conventional keyboard and operates with a touch screen.
2009
Exhibition in the Kremlin
Herend is the first Hungarian product and exhibitor to receive the opportunity to showcase their art amid the Kremlin's historical walls. On this occasion Herend Porcelain Manufactory presented a gift of an over 2-metre-high giant vase to the Russian Federation.
The Burj Dubai is built
Construction on the Burj Dubai, the world's highest building is completed.
2008
Exhibition at Ariana Museum
A professionally as well as artistically important major Herend exhibition was staged at the famous Ariana Museum in Geneva.
The largest suspension bridge is completed
The world's longest (32.5 km) suspension bridge, which connects Shanghai with the city of Nantong over the river Yangtze, is open to the public.
2007
Herend exhibition in Tsarskoye Selo
Herend is featured in St. Petersburg again after 107 years staging a representative exhibition at the tsars' summer residence.
The Harry Potter novel series ends
Ten years after the first episode the seventh and last volume of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series, which has enjoyed unprecedented popularity, is published.
2001
Herend's 175th jubilee
A huge celebration lasting for several days marked Herend Porcelain Manufactory's 175th jubilee with top-notch events featuring great entertainers, cultural treats, and prominent guests.
Kofi Annan receives the Nobel Peace Prize
Ghanaian politician Kofi Annan (UN Secretary General) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts for a better organised and more peaceful world”.
1999
The Porcelanium is built
In line with the expectations of the new millennium, an attractive visitor centre named Porcelanium is to be opened to the public.
The birth of the Euro
On 1 January 1999, 11 countries switched to the Euro, which has since been the common currency in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Holland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
1995
Herend is awarded with the ISO 9001 Quality Standard Certificate
Herend is awarded with the ISO 9001 Quality Standard Certificate, the first among European Porcelain Manufactories.
The DVD (Digital Video Disc) is developed
A consortium creates this large-capacity optical storage device used mainly to store movies, good quality sound, and data.
1992
Herend is restructured into a share-holding company
On 30 June 1992, Herend Porcelain Manufactory is established as legal successor to Herend Porcelain Factory, the ownership structure of which is unique: employees hold 75 per cent of shares.
The European Union comes into being
Signed on 7 February 1992, the Treaty of Maastricht established the European Union.
1985
Herend Studio is founded
The Manufactory's design artists found Herend Studio, and garner major trade accomplishments with their modern designs in ensuing years.
Microsoft develops Windows
In computer technology, the very first version of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface appeared in 1985.
1981
Herend is restructured as an independent company
In 1981, Herend left Fine Ceramics Works and became an independent company.
The invention of the personal computer
In 1981, Commodore presents the VIC-20 home computer with over a million computers sold worldwide.
1976
Herend is 150 years old
Historical research reveals the manufactory's real year of founding and a grand celebration is staged to commemorate the past 150 years.
The American Viking-1 space probe alights on Mars
The landing of the Viking-1 and Viking-2 space probes on Mars in the summer of 1976 was a resounding success of space probe research of Mars. These two American space probes were the first to send photographs directly from the planet's surface.
1964
The Herend Porcelain Museum opens
It garners state recognition and in 1964 opens to the public as a factory collection and specialised trade museum.
Martin Luther King receives the Nobel Peace Prize
History's best known human rights fighter wins the Nobel Peace Prize, as the youngest recipient to do so.
1954
A huge ornamental vase is made for Parliament
With its over 2 metres of height, the giant ornamental vase comprises three parts, and making it was an extraordinary technical feat.
The mountain peak K2 is conquered for the first time
The world's second highest peak was first scaled by Italian alpinists Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli on 31 July 1954.
1948
Nationalisation of the Manufactory
On 2 March 1948, Herend Porcelain Manufactory was also nationalised and, in line with the politics of centralisation and a planned economy, it continued to operate as a member company of FIM (Fine Ceramics Works), the firm uniting Hungary's ceramics factories.
The award of the first Kossuth Prizes
The Kossuth Prize is a Hungarian honour named after Lajos Kossuth. Parliament established it in 1948 on the occasion of the centenary of 15 March 1848.
1939
Centenary exhibition
In 1939, Herend staged a Centenary Exhibition at the National Applied Art Association's exhibition halls (conjecturing 1839 as the year of founding). The exhibition showcased porcelain production from the times of Mór Fischer, through Jenő Farkasházi's work up to 1939.
World War II breaks out
At 4.45 a.m. on 1 September 1939 the German army crossed the Polish border, marking the outbreak of the biggest armed conflict in humanity's history.
1933
World Fair, Chicago
Besides Herend's professional success, the Chicago World Fair was noted for the beginning of Herend exports to the US.
The song “Gloomy Sunday” is born
Rezső Seress composes music to its lyrics and so one of the most famous evergreen songs, the sole Hungarian world hit Gloomy Sunday is born.
1929
Ede Telcs is named artistic adviser
In 1929, Ede Telcs was asked to serve as artistic adviser. This marked the beginning of a transformation of the company's artistic management, with a shift in the direction of figurine design.
The Oscars are awarded for the first time
At the first awards ceremony, no one knew the statuette's name. George Stanley cast Oscar's ultimately approved shape into clay, then into bronze, then coating it with 24-carat gold finish.
1923
Share-holding company II
The manufactory again becomes a shareholding company. Jenő Farkasházy is art director, with Gyula Gulden becoming executive director.
Gustav Eiffel dies
The designer of the famous Parisian tower and many other buildings dies on 27 December 1923 at his Rabelais Street palace. He was buried in a ceremony worthy of his stature in Paris's Levallois-Perret cemetery.
1914
The Hardships of War
From 1914, the war had been posed difficulties for the manufactory. Business was reduced to a minimum in wartime. The majority of the factory's employees served in the army, so the plant was barely operational.
The outbreak of World War I
On 28 June, member of the nationalist group Black Hand Gavrilo Princip, assassinates heir to the throne Francis Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo. The First World War breaks out as a result.
1904
World Fair, Saint Louis
At the 1904 St. Louis Fair and World Exhibition, Herend once again earns the shiniest prize – a gold medal.
The birth of Salvador Dali
The legendary Spanish painter, one of the 20th century's most mysterious artists and the best known representative of surrealism, was born on 11 May 1904.
1901
World Fair, St. Petersburg
Herend wins a gold medal at the international ceramics exhibition in St. Petersburg.
The first Mercedes
The German company Daimler launches its new car model in Nice and names it after Mercedes, daughter of the customer Emil Jellinek.
1900
Jenő Farkasházy's successes
Respectful of and following in the footsteps of his grandfather's artistic legacy, the new factory's Art Nouveau products receive recognition and awards at fin-de-siècle world fairs.
The blood type system is discovered
American serologist of Austrian descent Karl Landsteiner discovers the A, B, AB and 0 blood type system.
1897
Vocational training begins
The government backed Farkasházi's ideas. Accordingly, commencing 1 July 1897 and with an annual state funding of 4,000 forints, he was the first to organise apprentice training in Transdanubia.
The world's first acetylene lamps
In the town of Tata acetylene lamps lit up in twenty-one places at 8.30 p.m. on 24 July 1897, first in the world.
1896
Jenő Farkasházy takes over as the new director
In 1896, the year of the anniversary of the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin, the state offered to sell the factory to Mór Fischer's grandson Jenő. Jenő Farkasházi Fischer (1863-1926) was a trained ceramist with a wealth of experience.
The first Olympics of the modern era
The first Olympic Games of the modern era were opened in Athens, the home of the Olympics of the Antiquity, on 5 April 1896. Baron Pierre de Coubertin's dream came true!
1884
The Manufactory is restructured into a share-holding company
The company formed under the name of Herend Porcelain Works Co. took over company management. The state granted 12 years of tax exemption to the shareholding company and also supported it with an interest-free loan.
The Hungarian Opera House opens
On 24 September 1884 The Hungarian Royal Opera House's neo-Renaissance palace opened to the public. Ferenc Erkel became director of the newly opened Opera House.
1874
Mór Fischer retires
In 1874, Mór Farkasházi Fischer hands the factory over to his sons, who deemed exclusivity less important. In consequence, the factory was soon compelled to file for bankruptcy.
The birth of Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on 30 November.
1873
World Fair, Vienna
At the World Fair staged in Vienna Emperor Francis Joseph mostly purchased Herend porcelain for gifts. Herend's presence was also characterised by professional successes.
French Emperor Napoleon III dies
"Little Napoleon" died on 9 January as a result of kidney stone surgery.
1872
The title of Supplier to the Imperial and Royal Court is awarded
Emperor Francis Joseph awards the title of Supplier to the Imperial and Royal Court to the Manufactory managed by Mór Farkasházy Fischer. This is the highest recognition from the imperial court.
Gedeon Richter was born
The founder of the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry was born on 23 September in the same year in Ecséd.
1867
Mór Fischer certificate of nobility
Emperor Francis Joseph bestowed a Hungarian nobiliary title to the factory owner. Henceforth Fischer began to use the forename Farkasházi, which originates from the Hungarianisation of the name (Wolfshaus) of his Tata family home.
The dynamite is patented
On 7 May 1867, Alfred Nobel was granted patent number 1345 for the production method of dynamite in England.
1855
World Fair, Paris
It was in the hope of conquering new markets that Herend prepared for the second world fair, held this time in Paris. At this exhibition, too, Herend clinched a top prize. A favourable press response had a positive impact on the factory's activities.
The discovery of the Victoria Waterfall
On 17 November 1855, the great explorer and missionary David Livingstone was the first European to first catch sight of the great waterfall of the river a Zambezi, which it named Victoria, after the contemporary British Queen.
1851
The first World Exhibition, London
International success: at the Great Exhibition in London, Queen Victoria orders a china set with a butterfly and floral pattern, which Mór Fischer names after her, and which the world has since known as the Victoria pattern.
It is proved that the Earth rotates
The French physicist Foucault experimentally proved that the Earth rotates around its axis.
1846
Industrial Art Exhibition
The Smithsonian Institute opens in Washington, D.C.
One of the world's first National Museums opens to the public. Today its collections house over 142 million items of art.
1843
Fire at the Manufactory
In March 1843, a conflagration caused by arson wreaked havoc, which Herend masters later portrayed on a porcelain plate.
The first Christmas postcard
An English gentleman, Sir Henry Cole is credited with turning the idea for the first Christmas card into reality. He was the first director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
1842
First Hungarian Industrial Art Exhibition
Herend receives a bronze medal, and Lajos Kossuth recognises, as part of the joyous developments of domestic industrial art, the introduction of Herend porcelain.
Samuel Colt invents the revolver
Former ship apprentice and arms manufacturer Samuel Colt invents the revolver this year.
1839
Mór Fischer takes over at the Manufactory's helm
The Manufactory flourished, Herend enjoyed its halcyon days under Mór Fischer's management. After taking over the management from Vince Stingl, Mór Fischer truly did his utmost to make excellent quality porcelain measured by international standards.
Kirkpatrick Macmillan invents the bicycle
In 1839, Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the first bicycle with pedals. His clever machine was moved by pedal arms. In 1842, Macmillan rode on it to Glasgow and back, reaching an average speed of 13 km/hour on one stretch of the 226-kilometre distance.
1826
Vince Stingl founds the Herend plant
Archival research proved that Vince Stingl, born in Sopron, who learned the craft of the fine ceramics industry in Vienna, founded the forerunner of Herend Porcelain Manufactory.
The birth of the first photograph
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce produced the world's first known photograph by coating a 20 × 25 cm pewter sheet with bitumen dissolved in lavender oil. One fascinating aspect of the picture is that owing to the eight-hour exposure time the sun lit both sides of the case.
