Discover Selb: Porcelain, Culture and Activities

Porcelain, design and a wide range of cultural and leisure activities give Selb a distinct character. At the Porzellanikon, you can explore the history of the industry at its former site; there are also theatre, city walks and activities for active hours. This lets you tailor your stay to whether you mainly want to discover museums and culture or combine a range of activities.

Porcelain history on a former factory site

The Porzellanikon Selb is located in a former Rosenthal factory, which closed in 1969. Today, around 9,000 square metres of the repurposed industrial site house three museums: the European Industrial Museum for Porcelain, the Rosenthal Museum and the European Museum for Technical Ceramics. Together, the museums offer different perspectives on porcelain and ceramics at this historic industrial site.

Across more than 8,000 square metres, the Porzellanikon Selb displays old machinery, interactive stations, Rosenthal tableware, technical ceramics and a steam engine. One particularly striking feature is the massive round kilns: six of the original ten have been fully preserved and can be walked through. Among the machinery, kiln installations and tableware, the history of the material comes to life not only through individual exhibits but also through the scale of industrial production.

Cultural events and theatre

Events can also shape a stay in Selb. The International Grenzland Film Days have been held at SPEKTRUM Selb every year since 1977, during the week after Easter. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for the relevant edition. The Rosenthal Theatre hosts an annual presentation of the local porcelain industry under the theme “Weeks of White Gold”; specific dates should be checked separately when planning.

The Rosenthal Theatre is in the heart of Selb, on the slope of the Selbbach valley. Its programme includes opera, operetta, musicals, plays, symphony concerts, chamber concerts, jazz concerts and cabaret performances. The cultural programme thus ranges from musical theatre to smaller-scale stage productions. If a particular performance is important to your trip, check the current programme.

Discover Selb on a walk

A walk through Selb takes in the art, culture, old, new and distinctive features of this porcelain and design town. You can start in person or virtually. On a guided city tour with a certified guide, the Porcelain Fountain at Martin-Luther-Platz and Porzellangässchen are along the route. There, you walk on porcelain. Tour dates are arranged with the Tourist Information office.

Architecture is also part of what you can discover on a walk: Otto Piene artistically enhanced the Rosenthal headquarters building. Next to it is the Mirror House, with its mirrored façade designed by Marcello Morandini. The two buildings show different ways of making art and design visible in the cityscape.

Active hours and the right holiday apartment

Leisure facilities include a pump track and a skate park. The asphalt pump track can be used with mountain bikes, BMX bikes, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, longboards and balance bikes. Selb indoor swimming pool in Rosenthal Park adds to the options with a sports pool, an adjacent non-swimmers’ pool with massage jets and a children’s pool with an elephant slide. Check the swimming pool’s current visitor information before your visit.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Selb, your planned priorities can help you decide: the Porzellanikon, a city walk and the theatre make for a culture-focused stay, while the pump track, skate park and indoor swimming pool offer more leisure options. This lets you choose a base that suits your plans without limiting your stay to a single theme.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Selb-Plößberg, Wildenau, Arzberg, Schönwald, Thiersheim, Nagel, Kirchenlamitz, Röslau.

Back to the main travel overview: Wunsiedel in the Fichtel Mountains.