Thank you for your reply.

The first time I ever saw one was several years ago in a house in a town called Greifswald. I clearly recollect I saw this monster of a piece which stood, at least, 6' tall, when I couldn't resist and asked "what is that"... "a heater" he answered, unfortunately I never asked how it worked or shamelessly fidgeted as I do today in order to understand an interesting piece.

That piece stuck in my mind all this time and now I'm interested in purchasing one.

I also don't know why ceramic...

And I thought you would give me the answer!! I guess we'll have to google them and learn something new. :))

I see them in Europe and in Germany from time to time. There are modern versions for sale, but you might have to search a little harder to get more traditional versions.

I imagined so. Surely, whenever the time comes, I'll keep an much more open eye for these when I take a trip to Germany.
The traditional ones are beautiful and I've noticed they tend to be in that very dark green grandmothers used to have in their homes, but I'm sure that they can work quite well with more contemporary colors and decor around a house.

Just found these two websites where these heaters are explained... seems that they're not "ceramic" heaters but ["masonry" heaters] or ["masonry" stoves]... although they did use to cover them up with tile and ceramic.

Masonry Heaters
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/masonry-heaters.html

Sunbathing in the living room: oven stoves and heat walls
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/12/tile-stoves.html

@alphonseuss, thanks for the websites. I had not investigated yet so will be nice reading later tonight. :))

They are called 'Kachelofen' which means a tiled stove. These stoves do exist until today and have actually had quite a revival in recent years due to high energy prices. They can be either rustic or modern, built-in or freestanding, some are even antique.

midmodfan, yes, they are very interesting. Some are just beautiful and I see them once in awhile on HGTV's "House Hunters International". Check out both of the websites alphonseuss put up. I read one last night, they are super efficient and do not use as much wood or make the pollution like a conventional fireplace as we have in the states.

midmodfan: Thank you for the info!... You just made me a very happy guy!... That's the precise term I needed. Now my search has turned easier and have already been looking into it.
unwantedadvice: Glad you liked the links.

There's a young woman who makes them pretty much from scratch in Western Ontario, and will ship anywhere, I think. Not cheap, but omg gorgeous, and there's one for sale in Toronto (the ad mentions the young woman):

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-appliances-stoves-ovens-ranges-FUNCTIONAL-Antique-European-Ceramic-Oven-Featured-in-Vogue-W0QQAdIdZ538941307

Even better, the maker is a Houzz pro! Just found her by googling Kitchener kachelofen - gotta love Houzz's ongoing steamy affair with Google:

http://www.houzz.com/pro/jessica-steinhauser/jessica-steinhuser-kachelfen


I first read about them on Remodelista, goodness they're beautiful:

http://www.remodelista.com/posts/design-sleuth-traditional-swedish-tiled-stoves

WOW!... they are pricey.
I was looking at some German websites with very reasonable prices. Still gotta research how much shipping would go for... winter's already here, so I'm giving myself 6 months before I make a final purchase so that such a large piece fits perfectly. Definitely these Kachelofens are an eye catcher to anyone entering a room.
Thanks for the info, bubblyjock :-D

Hallo, my name is Jessica, and I do make Kachelöfen. They do not have to be huge. This one in my profile is 60 cm by 55 cm footprint.

Yes, they are pricy. I do make each Kachel by hand. It is not a flat tile, but a hollow brick made out of clay.

here are two little documentary to see how I make the kacheln, and the other vimeo is what is involved for installing a Kachelofen.

I regular mason is not able to install a Kachelofen. You will need to have a professional Hafner and have it installed. Even if you get the Kacheln from Germany.

We have an antique kacholofen for sale. If you are interested and would like to see pictures email me at rutzhouse@gmail.com

We have a newer one for sale, blue tile, made in Canada. It's as easy to install as a wood stove and can be shipped. It is by Warnock Hersey, 34.5" wide by 39.5 high. email northstarstoneworks@gmail.com for details and photos.

Hello, my name is Andrew and I design, build and
install custom masonry heaters and tile stoves (kachelofen) through my company,
GRZ LLC. I am a Certified Heater Mason (a Hafner). If you would like to see
more of my work, my website is http://www.grzheat.com/

Hi Andrew, good to see you are on Houzz. How are you?

Jessica

Hi Jessica, I'm fine. How are you? I think Houzz is a great place to promote greater awareness about Kachelofen.
Take care!
Andrew

I'm lucky enough to have one of these in a house I just purchased!

I just finished new Kachelofen in Fairfield Maine, November 2015