Station: [21] Open Flame Kiln

F: In 1984, Bürgel celebrated its 750th anniversary. The event provided an opportunity to commemorate the town's long tradition of ceramic art within the public realm.

M: But that wasn't the only intention! A small experimental kiln was needed, because the large electric kilns could only be heated to a maximum of eleven hundred and eighty degrees Celsius, and some historical techniques of the potter's craft were at risk of vanishing entirely.

F: Bürgel had been a training centre since 1972, when it first hosted the ceramics classes run by the Burg Giebichenstein College of Art in Halle. And broadly based training in the craft naturally included developing one's own glazes, and experimenting with different firing processes.

M: That was why the open flame kiln was built in 1984, and an ancient skill was revived: the production of stoneware with home-made salt and ash glazes. In the open-fire kiln, pots could now be fired at temperatures of up to thirteen hundred degrees Celsius, while also experimenting with the supply of oxygen during the various firing phases. Another feature that could now be revived was the application of Bürgel's typical "blue apron" decoration by throwing a mixture of ground cobalt glass, salt and litharge – a type of lead oxide – into the kiln during firing.

F: And of course, the outdoor kiln also became a popular attraction at the annual pottery market. It was purposely built on the fairground, where it would attract public attention. These days, it's fired up in June and gives curious visitors to the pottery market some real insights into the complexity of pottery production.