Dr. Otto Eugen Mayer (1888 - 1981)
Dr. O.E. Mayer, born in 1888 in Aachen, was innately an archaeologist. As a descendant of Jewish ancestors, he had to flee Germany at the end of the thirties. He found shelter in Belgium and worked as an editor for the East Belgian newspaper "Grenz-Echo". From the 50s onwards he undertook numerous excavations in the region of Raeren together with Dr. Michel Kohnemann and Leo Kever. In 1963, Dr. Mayer became the first curator of the then newly opened Pottery Museum Raeren. He lived in the castle with his wife. His collection which he himself had restored and the collection of Dr. Kohnemann formed the core of the museum. Up until old age, Dr. Mayer remained loyal to the museum. Only in 1980 he moved to Eupen for matters of age and health.
Dr. Michel Kohnemann (1918 - 2002)
Dr. Michel Kohnemann is the father of the Pottery Museum Raeren. As a German philologist he early dedicated himself to Raeren genealogy and the study of field names of Raeren. In the postwar years, he developed interest in Raeren pottery. During excavation work in Raeren, Eynatten and Hauset he kept finding shard ditches and old kilns which he analyzed together with Dr. O. E. Mayer. As a person responsible for matters of culture and education in the municipality of Raeren he was able to buy the Raeren castle for the municipality in 1959 in order to fulfill his wish of a Pottery Museum Raeren. Until his death he remained active in his research on Raeren pottery and is responsible for many publications on this subject.
Helmut Rehker (1917-1994)
Since 1980 Helmut Rehker was jointly responsible with Dr. Michel Kohnemann as volunteer the Pottery Museum Raeren. He was born in 1917 in Siegburg. Since the war he was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable ceramic collector. Helmut Rehker was General Manager of Industry and Commerce Chamber in Cologne and from 1965 onwards member of the Cologne city council. He was a man who loved art, especially ceramics, and promoted this love wherever he could. After his retirement in 1980 he bequeathed his valuable collection of Rhenish stoneware with more than 200 pieces to the municipality of Raeren . Up to today this collection is an essential part of our exhibition.