The tile stove is probably the oldest type of heater aside from an open fire. It is certainly the heater with the longest tradition. The precursor of today’s tile stoves was probably the pilework stove of the Bronze Age, around 2,500 BC. This early prototype, which developed in the German and Austrian Alps, consisted of a fireplace, which was built up with stone and loam. Even then, the stones took on the role of retaining the heat.

The actual tile stove, whose shell is made up solely of tiles, wasn’t viable before potters developed square tiles with a ridge from the pots they were previously using. This development can be traced back to the 14th century. Since then, the tile stove’s exterior has followed the styles of the various periods, from Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism, Biedermeier (a German-Austrian Folk style) and Art Nouveau through to the present day. The tile stove’s heyday was in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The development of the tile stove progressed logically from pressing individual tiles into the soft loam to the tile shell. People soon realized that the tiles, made by the stove-fitter/potter, offered a suitable surface for artistic decoration. Not only princes, but also peasants now had their tile stoves custom built. Today, a tile stove could utilize wood, coal, gas or electrical hot water and may even have a separate baking compartment attached, according to individual tastes and ideas.