Shopping · 28 of the best in Budapest
Herend and Zsolnay: Hungary’s porcelain
The back story
About Herend and Zsolnay: Hungary’s porcelain
Hungary has two world-famous ceramics houses: Herend, whose hand-painted porcelain has graced royal tables since the 19th century, and Zsolnay, from Pécs, whose glowing eosin glazes and frost-proof tiles coloured the roofs of Budapest.
Herend
The Herend manufactory, founded in 1826 in a village near Lake Balaton, rose to fame in the mid-19th century when its porcelain was shown at international exhibitions and ordered by royal households. Its painters still decorate every piece by hand, in patterns such as the butterfly-and-flower “Victoria”.
Zsolnay
The Zsolnay family factory in Pécs became famous for eosin, an iridescent metallic glaze developed in the 1890s, and for pyrogranite, the frost-proof ceramic used on the roofs of Matthias Church, the Great Market Hall and Lechner’s buildings.
Every piece of Herend porcelain is still painted by hand.
Our advice: visit the Herend and Zsolnay shops in the centre to see the craftsmanship; for a day out, Herend village has a museum and visitor centre about two hours from Budapest.
Why it's on our list
- Herend
- Zsolnay
- Where to see and buy
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Herend and Zsolnay: Hungary’s porcelain before you go.