Hartwig Heyne opened his pottery studio in 1850 in the small village of Tschöpeln, at the time part of the German Empire. Using the large deposits of white and light gray clay in the area, Heyne hand-crafted various pieces of pottery with a rustic charm. After relocating to Oer-Erkenschwick at the end of World War II, Heyne’s daughter, Christine, and her aunt, Meta, started a new studio and carried on the family name. Christine’s son, Hans, was the last master potter and was with the studio until its close in 2005.