The Habans – also called the Anabaptists – are mentioned by the chroniclers as far back as the early Sixteenth Century. Deriving their religious beliefs and direction from the Bible, they formed small settlements. They lived in communes, where the brotherhood shared an equality of status. They lived quiet introspective lives within their religion, devoted to work, shunning violence and prohibiting the use of arms. They were persecuted right from the beginning.
       Their first settlements were in the north of Switzerland and in Germany, and soon they expanded into Tyrol, Holland and Moravia. They formed many settlements within the Republic of Venice, they reached Hungary, Transylvania and even settled in Tsarist Russia and beyond the seas. The Golden Age of Anabaptism was from the middle of the Sixteenth Century to the beginning of the Seventeenth Century, with theirmain cultural centre being in Moravia.
       It was here that they established closed communities, shut away form the outside world, which they called ‘Courts’ or ‘Haushaben’, which gave them the
name Habans. Their only contact with the outside world was through their work. They pursued any work or profession which did not clash with their beliefs and one could find doctors, midwives, masons, carpenters and they had many potters in their ranks, who made white tin glazed pots and vessels, acquiring their skills of manufacture from the master potters of Faenza in Italy. The first known pottery from the Carpathian basin was a water jug made in 1609. Their unique world of design and colourings – which differed considerably from the local ethnic style of pottery – quickly made their own style popular – first among the nobility and then generally among the populace. Their world of design went through some changes during the centuries, starting with forbidden human and animal motifs which became generally acceptable by the beginning of the Seventeenth Century.
       Apart from general household items, they were renowned for their ceramic heating tiles that covered ovens and fireplaces.
Interestingly, the Haban pottery retained to the very end its own unique style and design which cannot be confused with any other make. They did not adopt designs from other cultures, nor were they copied. This was largely due to their closed closely-knit community life. This way, their works retained and maintained their unique place in the cultural and artistic treasures of Central Europe.