The Zsolnay
factory was established by Miklós Zsolnay
(1800-1880) in Pécs, Hungary, to produce
stoneware and ceramics in 1853. In 1863, his
son, Vilmos Zsolnay (1828 - 1900) joined the
company and became its manager and director
after several years. He led the factory to
worldwide recognition by demonstrating its
innovative products at world fairs and
international exhibitions, including the
1873 World Fair in Vienna, then at the 1878
World Fair in Paris, where Zsolnay received
a Grand Prix. In 1893, Zsolnay introduced
porcelain pieces made of eosin. Tádé
Sikorski (1852 - 1940) married Vilmos’
daughter Júlia and became the chief
designer. In 1900 Vilmos’ son Miklós took
over. Frost-resisting Zsolnay building
decorations were used in numerous buildings
specifically during the art nouveau
movement. By 1914, Zsolnay was the largest
company in Austro-Hungary.During World War I
production of pottery and building materials
were curtailed, and the factory produced for
military use, for instance insulators. After
WW1 the fortunes of the factory declined due
to the Serbian occupation, loss of markets,
and difficulty to secure raw materials.
However after the depression, conditions
improved. During World War II its site of
production in Budapest was bombed. With the
rule of communism the factory was
nationalized in 1948. Eventually, the
Zsolnay name was dropped. The Pécsi
Porcelángyár (Pécs Porcelain Factory) was
used primarily to produce common tableware
goods. However, in 1982 with the resumption
of a market economy, the company regained
its operational independence, was
reorganized, and the Zsolnay name returned.
In 1991, the Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacture
became a stock company, and five years later
it was bought by a private equity
enterprise. In September 2008 a contract was
concluded with the Swedish company, IKEA.
According to the contract, Zsolnay will
deliver 5,000 tons of china products per
year from September 2009. This deal will
triple the sales of Ft 1,1 billion (€4,4
million) for Zsolnay.
) 
Ancient-arts
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