In the České Budějovice cemetery, the renovated Hardtmuth mausoleum is accessible

České Budějovice – The reconstructed Hardtmuth tomb is accessible to the public in the cemetery of the Mladé district in České Budějovice. It houses the remains of the founder of the Hardtmuth family, Josef Hardtmuth, who established the Koh-i-noor factory. It is one of the most significant tombs in the city. Representatives of the city told this to journalists today.

"This is a very significant funerary structure in České Budějovice. We also appreciate the legacy of the Hardtmuth family, because thanks to them, we say that the pencil was born in České Budějovice. We can be grateful to them for the tradition and for the fact that thanks to them, České Budějovice industrially grew," stated Mayor Dagmar Škodová Parmová (ODS).

The Hardtmuth family tomb was built at the end of the 18th century as a structure with an above-ground chapel and an underground crypt. The design was probably created by architect Peter Paul Brang. The restoration of the interior of the Hardtmuth tomb began in September 2024 and lasted until July 2025. One of the reasons for the restoration was damage to the chapel's painting. In the upper parts of the tomb, experts restored the colored surface of the dome and the colored decorative panels at twelve windows with stained glass.

Josef Hardtmuth founded the Koh-i-noor factory in Vienna in 1790. Initially, the company focused on the production of stoneware and later refocused on pencils and chalk. In the 1840s, Josef Hardtmuth's descendant Carl moved Koh-i-noor to České Budějovice, where it is still located today. Koh-i-noor Hardtmuth is now one of the largest companies in South Bohemia and is part of the Koh-i-noor holding group, which, in addition to office supplies, is also engaged in healthcare, energy, manufacturing for the automotive industry, and property management. The holding's revenue for the previous year was 4.5 billion crowns, which is an increase of 15.4 percent compared to 2023.