Are there events that combine art and craftsmanship, form and function and that inspire a broad audience without elitist barriers? Yes, there are, even if the term “art” does not come to the fore. Such events are modestly referred to as ceramics days, ceramics markets or, as in Diessen am Ammersee, pottery market. The show will open with an early morning steamboat ride on Ascension Day, May 29th. Around 160 ceramists from twelve countries will present their works over the weekend. But there is much more to this festival of contemporary ceramics.
The Diessen pottery market in the lakeside park on Lake Ammersee in Upper Bavaria. © Noah Cohen.
The market’s director Wolfgang Lösche has been organizing the international show in the lakeside park for the past 25 years. The range of ceramic diversity extends from household ceramics for the home and garden to remarkable works of art. As one of the largest such markets in Europe, the Diessen Pottery Market is highly esteemed in the contemporary ceramics scene and annually attracts up to 60,000 visitors, including collectors and representatives of museums. The high quality of the exhibited objects and the special atmosphere at the show have become the event’s trademark. Exhibitors not only come to sell: Diessen is also a popular meeting place for sharing among professionals.
An important element is the competition for the Diessen Ceramics Prize, which the kiln manufacturer Rohde endows with 5,000 euros. This year’s theme is “Color Play.” The works can be seen in the historic Traidtcasten next to the Marienmünster. The Young Ceramics Prize sets a new accent. The international competition is sponsored by the ceramics supply company Wolfbring. The works of the participants will be presented at the Kulturforum Blaues Haus. The traditional Keramikweg invites visitors to stroll through the idyllic market town and visit some of the workshops. A detour to the Taubenturm is always worthwhile, where the sculptures of the award-winning Japanese ceramic artist Ayaka Terajima can be admired this year.
Ceramic sculptures Various Others by Ayaka Terajima. Exhibition in 2025 at the Taubenturm in Diessen. © Thomas Splett.
Group of vases by Susanne Petzold, winner of the 2024 Diessen Ceramics Prize. She studied at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle. © Susanne Petzold.
Ceramic vase by Satoko Kako, participant in Diessen 2025. The Japanese artist studied fine arts in Munich and has lived in Berlin since 2005. © Satoko Kako.
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- 86911 Diessen am Ammersee
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