Höganäsbolaget – The Höganäs Company
Höganäsbolaget mined coal. The clay that could mined as well could be used for bricks and pottery. The coal was used in the ovens. Production of yellow glazed household pottery started in 1832 and in time the sturdy salt glazed brown jars became synonymous with Höganäs. Swanky showpieces, artful items in majolica and Art Noveau demonstrated the pottery’s curiosity and skill at the turn of the former century. The Vackrare vardagsvara-series was handpainted in blue – and wrote art history. The massive, anonymous production of salt glazed items gave a steady income, while production of household goods and art pottery was discontinued in 1926. Salt glazed goods was produced until 1954, but smaller manufacturers keep up the supply.
An ironwork that grew into Höganäs Ltd started circa 1910, today it’s world leading in metal powder solutions.
The last coal mine closed in 1961. Abandoned mine shafts run below the fields and the clay rests underground. But the pottery lives on.
Andersson & Johansson/Höganäs Keramik
Employees left Höganäsbolaget during the general strike in 1909 and started the pottery workshop Olofsson & Johansson. The founders split and Andersson & Johansson started in 1910 in the same location. The workshop grew into an industry with massproduction of flower pots and household goods decorated with contemporary designs. In 1943 production moved to a new, larger factory.
Tradition and handcraft were the company’s backbone. The Old Höganäs tableware from 1955 was inspired by 19th century yellow pottery and a bestseller for years. The competitor Nyman & Nyman, also in Höganäs, was acquired in the 1950s to get the name Höganäs Keramik (pottery), that become the company’s official name in 1967.
Brown tableware and decorative items, such as chocolate drops, were runaway successes in the 1970s and 80s. The Höganäs mug, based on traditional tankards, was also developed then, as well as colourful mugs and fashionable tableware.
The factory closed in 2008 and production moved overseas. Höganäs Keramik is now part of the Rörstrand brand.
