The history of the toilet at the newly designed Kammerhof Museum

One of the most important LAUFEN locations is celebrating a momentus milestone this year: 100 years of industrial production of ceramics in Gmunden. This milestone coincides with Gmunden's participation as the European Capital of Culture Salzkammergut 2024.

On the occasion of this special year, Austrian artist and curator Petra Zechmeister has been commissioned by LAUFEN to redesign the exhibition of the Klo & So Sanitary Museum at the Kammerhof Museum, reflecting the current significance of the topic. This collection of historical sanitary objects, the largest in the world, has been meticulously curated by LAUFEN over more than 70 years, illustrating the history of bathroom culture and the changes in hygiene standards over the last few centuries. 

The result is an informative and entertaining journey through the history of the toilet and sanitary ceramics. On 5 October, the museum is taking part to the Museum Nights and visitors will be able to experience a unique visit to the newly designed exhibition.

In the new staging and design of Klo & So, existing materials have been sustainably reused, and two contemporary artists invited to explore the intersection of art and design within the exhibition. Their hybrid artworks, created by Xenia Lesniewski and Gerhard Gutenberger, respond to this theme both conceptually and formally, operating at the crossroads of applied visual arts and design. These works remain as permanent installations in the museum, with a colour scheme executed by artist Nino Stelzl. 

Throughout the years, LAUFEN has cultivated a dialogue with architects, designers  and cultural institutions alike forging collaborations that transcend time and borders. In 1963, a legendary six-week symposium was initiated in Gmunden with the Austrian pioneer of modern ceramics, Kurt Ohnsorg (1927-1970), where creatives from around the world, from Nigeria to the USA, came together to create extraordinary pieces. A selection of these works are now on display in the museum for the first time.