splash of colour

traditional craftsmanship beauty squared

In every room of Hotel Ross, as well as in the reception and breakfast areas, you will find beautiful tile highlights from the Meissen based manufacturer Bidtelia, est. 1861. These tiles were custom made for the hotel in a limited special edition, using original moulds, patterns and colours from around 1900.

Meissen has a long ceramic tradition: Once the Royal Saxon Porcellan Manufactory was established here in 1710, Meissen became a world leading location of ceramic industries.

history

colours rainbow range

The pharmacist Dr. Julius Bidtel founded the ceramic manufactory 'Bidtelia' in 1861 in Cölln - not yet a part of Meissen town - and started producing ceramic paints and glazings. The challenge he mastered was the creation of glazings that would not crack in the firing process and could withstand constant fluctuations between extreme temperatures: important for the design of ovens in apartments which were no longer heated with open fireplaces, as well as decorative elements for buildings' facades, exposed to weather extremes.

Until 1945, Bidtelia was one of Germany's most significant producers of oven tile glazings and a major supplier for the Teichert brothers' oven works, also based in Meissen, whose tiled ovens are still found in almost every pre-war building throughout Germany.

Bidtelia started their 'traditional ceramics' branch in 2000 and now mainly supplies materials for restoring protected historical buildings. Their archive of original moulds and colours allows for the reproduction of parts gone missing over the years.