La Poterie de Taizé
Handmade ceramics from Taizé · Charlotte Riedl-Würfel, SalzburgCeramics with a story
In the La Poterie de Taizé hut, you'll find handmade ceramics from the pottery of the ecumenical Taizé Community in Burgundy: mugs, bowls, jugs and teapots. Charlotte Riedl-Würfel from Salzburg founded La Poterie de Taizé in 2021 and brings the brothers' pieces to us at Mirabellplatz.
What you’ll find here
- Mugs, cups and bowls
- Jugs and teapots
- Plates and platters
- Special one-off pieces
- Vegan, natural glazes, in ten mineral glazes
Everything is made in Taizé itself. The brothers mix the clay from natural minerals such as feldspar and kaolin, shape each piece by hand on the wheel or by slip casting, and fire it twice, the final firing at up to 1,280 °C. The glazes are also made at the monastery, from mineral ingredients and without artificial additives. In the past, their colours came from the ash of wood, leaves or roasted hazelnut shells from the surrounding area; today they come from minerals.
“We like to make things that are useful, practical and beautiful and that can be used for a very long time.”
— Brother Bart, head of production at the pottery in Taizé
Who’s behind the counter
It all started as a relief effort: during the pandemic, visitors stopped coming to Taizé, and with them the income. The brothers don't accept donations; they live from their own work. So Charlotte bought a large quantity of pottery and offered it online. She sent the first parcels from a tent in her garden in Salzburg. This has grown into a close partnership with the community, and today a small team works in the warehouse in Salzburg and in a store in Vienna.
Christmas with Charlotte
Brother Roger founded the Taizé Community in 1940 in a small village in Burgundy. Today, around a hundred brothers live there, Catholic and Protestant, from more than fifty countries. Their pottery workshop has existed since 1949.
Beyond the market
The ceramics are available all year round in the La Poterie de Taizé online shop and in the store in Vienna. The Taizé Community also names Charlotte on its own website as a source for its pottery.
Impressions from the hut
