Precious stones from the Bohemian Paradise

The brothers Jan and Václav Fišers from Turnov. Their alleged voyage to Venice, five years of efforts to seize the local secret of secrecy, return to Turnov, dozens of wasted attempts and then - finally success! In 1711 they made the first glass for the production of artificial stones.

THE GLASSHOUSE IN NOVÝ SVĚT

It was in 1712, when Elias Müller built his glassworks on the estate of the Harrach Counts in Jilemnice. It continued in the traditional production of glass, which was produced on the border of the Giant Mountains and the Jizera Mountains in the middle of the 14th century. Even today, you can see not only metallurgical production and blowing glass, but also a hundred-year-old grinding shop. It is driven by a water turbine and transmissions used to distribute the driving force.

ELIAS PALME

Elias Palme, one of the most famous luminaire manufacturers, continued the tradition of chandeliers in Kamenický Šenov. Industrial production of chandeliers was started in 1724 by Josef Palme in Prácheň.

ELDORADO OF BEADS AND SEED BEADS

Surely you would not find in the whole Principle and in the broad surroundings of a person who would say a crooked word about Jan Šourek. After all, it was as if he had come to the Principle of Prosperity and Welfare. As soon as he took possession of the reeve, life in the village began to turn for the better. He was one of the first to venture into the world for business.

JOSEF RIEDEL

Josef Riedel, king of the Jizera Mountains glassmakers, was born in Hejnice in 1816. He was the representative of the sixth generation of the glass family and imprinted his footprint indelibly on the slopes of the Jizera Mountains.

FRIEDRICH EGERMANN

JOSEF PFEIFFER

Josef Pfeiffer - Jablonec entrepreneur and mayor, who was involved in the development of jewelery exports. Everything is confirmed at the imperial court and in 1866 Jablonec became a town during his reign.

BLOWN BEAD and its way to the tree

People can make sense of time and numbers, but not us, beads. However, I have heard that they have been blowing me in the mountains for more than a hundred years. As a bead would put it, that is a long time. You, who have never seen how a bead is born, you don´t know how beautiful life can be....

MELTED GLASS SCULPTURE

In 1920 the first Czech glass school was founded in Železný Brod, thanks to which the town became a center of glass art.

Christmas begins in Crystal Valley We are proud to announce that the CRYSTAL VALLEY WEEK 2024 glass festival has been awarded UNESCO auspices! Crystal Valley Week 2024 Clothing and bead applications in the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec Live broadcast from the approval meeting for the inscription of handmade glass production on the UNESCO list! GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY CRYSTAL HELMET OF ST. WENCESLAS Trophies for the World Superbike Championship in the spirit of Czech glass art Traditional glassmaking regions on both sides of the border are connecting Palme Glass Trail World of Wonders - WOW Crystal Paradise "Handmade glass" awarded Preciosa Lighting installation at Changi Airport Czech Christmas decorations enchant the Netherlands Crystal reliquary of St. Zdislava for the Pope Preciosa Lighting at Designblok Crystal Train Crystal Trail Preciosa is a partner of the ballet performance of the National Theater 165th birthday of the Czech glass school in Kamenický Šenov Šenov design shines in Prague's PALLADIUM Museum programs for children online How did glass Christmas decorations get from Železný Brod to New York? Unveiling a unique glass sculpture Pearl Christmas decorations from Poniklá are on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO
Christmas begins in Crystal Valley
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We are proud to announce that the CRYSTAL VALLEY WEEK 2024 glass festival has been awarded UNESCO auspices!
more
Crystal Valley Week 2024
more
Clothing and bead applications in the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec
more
CRYSTAL VALLEY in 2024
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Manual glass production is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
more
Live broadcast from the approval meeting for the inscription of handmade glass production on the UNESCO list!
more
Stations of the Cross at the Church of St. Anne
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GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
more
CRYSTAL HELMET OF ST. WENCESLAS
more
Trophies for the World Superbike Championship in the spirit of Czech glass art
more
Traditional glassmaking regions on both sides of the border are connecting
more
Palme Glass Trail
more
World of Wonders - WOW
more
Crystal Paradise
more
"Handmade glass" awarded
more
Preciosa Lighting installation at Changi Airport
more
Czech Christmas decorations enchant the Netherlands
more
Crystal reliquary of St. Zdislava for the Pope
more
Preciosa Lighting at Designblok
more
Crystal Train
more
Crystal Trail
more
Preciosa is a partner of the ballet performance of the National Theater
more
165th birthday of the Czech glass school in Kamenický Šenov
more
more
Šenov design shines in Prague's PALLADIUM
more
Museum programs for children online
more
How did glass Christmas decorations get from Železný Brod to New York?
more
Unveiling a unique glass sculpture
more
Pearl Christmas decorations from Poniklá are on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO
more
Mapa

Inspired by Crystal Valley

Manual glass production is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Tied together!
The knowledge, craft and skills of handmade glassmaking have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A total of six countries have made and submitted a joint nomination.


The inscription was decided on 6 December at the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in Botswana. It includes glassmakers from Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.


"We are pleased that the nomination was also recommended for inscription by the evaluation body as a good example of the positive role played by museums in the efforts to protect this element. In most countries, museums were the main preparers of the nomination documentation", said Milada Valečková, Director of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou. In our country, the Jablonec Museum was entrusted with its preparation by the Ministry of Culture as the only state-established institution with national competence in this field. 

The main initiators of the nomination were France and Germany, who originally intended to include only glass blowing and the production of flat glass from hollow cylinders. Thanks to the activity of the Jablonec Museum, their proposal was significantly expanded to include glass processing at the stove, but also all cold techniques. Thus, the producers of blown or drawn figurines, engravers, glass cutters and painters, as well as producers of Christmas decorations, pressed jewellery stones or finished jewellery can also celebrate. "A big part of this success is due to our museum's chief curator Petr Nový and his argumentative skills," Valečková added. Our thanks for their significant help and support go to the Czech representative on the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Eva Kumínková and the representative of the Ministry of Culture Dita Limová, to colleagues from the other five countries and to the entire glass community for their support and encouragement," adds Nový. 

What will the inscription bring to glassmakers? 
For one thing, it will help spread awareness of this rich and vibrant tradition and the various glassmaking techniques. It will increase the social prestige of the glass craft. It will also encourage dialogue between the communities of the enrolling countries and, last but not least, it will commit countries to promote the preservation of handmade glass. "At the first meeting of the working group of nominating countries in Spain in October, we identified as our top priority the education of the population to distinguish quality handmade products from the usual offer of chain stores. Of course, not everyone has the financial means to buy handmade glasses, but almost everyone can make themselves or their loved ones happy from time to time with a beautiful and unusual glass gift," says Valečková.

06.12.2023