In the Tokaj Mountains, especially around Mád, Szegi, Erdőbénye, Sárospatak, Telkibánya and Hollóháza, kaolin could be found in industrial amount. This white clay is the main raw material for porcelain production. It is no coincidence, then, that the first porcelain factory in Hungary was founded in 1825 in Telkibánya. The factory was closed in 1907, but its former building still stands today and is currently housing the Exhibition on Local History of Telkibánya. However, the region was not left without a porcelain factory, as the Hollóháza Manufacture of Ceramics, established in the early 19th century, switched to porcelain production in 1949. The factory, which is still in operation, works from foreign raw materials nowadays. In our exhibition, you can see a specimen of kaolin from Szegi, the main mineral of which is kaolinite: Al2Si2O5(OH)4.
In the picture: Kaolinite, Szegi (Hungary). Size: 11 cm. Photo by Géza Kulcsár.