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.

XV. Stanislav Libenský Award 2024 - Tribute to Oldřichu Palatovi Christmas market in Zittau with Crystal Valley Expositions of the Botanical Garden Prague will be enlivened by glass installations by Jiří Pačinek CRYSTAL VALLEY in 2025 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 CRYSTAL VALLEY in 2024 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
XV. Stanislav Libenský Award 2024 - Tribute to Oldřichu Palatovi
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Christmas market in Zittau with Crystal Valley
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Expositions of the Botanical Garden Prague will be enlivened by glass installations by Jiří Pačinek
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CRYSTAL VALLEY in 2025
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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
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CRYSTAL VALLEY in 2024
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Manual glass production is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
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Live broadcast from the approval meeting for the inscription of handmade glass production on the UNESCO list!
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Stations of the Cross at the Church of St. Anne
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GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
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CRYSTAL HELMET OF ST. WENCESLAS
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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
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World of Wonders - WOW
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Crystal Paradise
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"Handmade glass" awarded
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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
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Crystal Train
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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
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Šenov design shines in Prague's PALLADIUM
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Mapa

Inspired by Crystal Valley

Kamenický Šenov: Secondary School of Glassmaking

Address

Havlíčkova 57, Kamenický Šenov, 471 14
Navigate to

Phone

+420 739 633 703

E-mail

supss@supss-ks.cz

It is the oldest functioning glass school in the world. The predecessor of the Glass School in Kamenický Šenov was the Sunday School of Drawing for local pupils, glassmakers and masters founded in 1839. The Glass School was established in 1856 at the request of local manufactures to provide training for local glass painters and engravers. Jan Dvořáček was the founder and the first director of the school.

The school developed mostly after the Second World War and then in the 60s of the 20th century. It had traditional glass painting and grinding departments and a new department of construction and production of light fittings. In 1969 they added the department of Glass Engraving. Since the 90s new technologies have been used as well – glass blowing at microwave kiln, casting, modelling of flat glass in an electric kiln, the printing of graphic sheets using glass sheets (vitrography), computer graphic and 3D modelling.

In the past decades, numerous artists studied at The Glass School in Kamenický Šenov, who have contributed substantially to the modern artistic development of Czech glassmaking. Some of these artists taught at our school, and others were graduates. Among the graduates were, for example, Jiří šuhájek, René Roubíček, Ivo Rozsypal, Vladimír Kopecký and many others. The main partner of the school is the biggest producer of light fittings the company Preciosa-Lighting in Kamenický Šenov. The school has cooperated with the glassworks owned by brothers Jílek, glass atelier of Peter Rath in Kamenický Šenov, glassworks Moser in Carlsbad and other companies, such as Crystalex in Nový Bor, Ajeto in Lindava and Nový Bor. The school also participate in The International Symposium of Engraved Glass in Kamenický Šenov, and local and foreign glass exhibitions. Absolvents usually continue with their studies at art colleges in The Czech Republic and abroad.

The school has been a part of ASPnet Unesco since 2005.

Visitors can also see the school gallery with student´s works dating from 1856 till now. On the ground floor of the historic building from 1887, there is a shop where you can buy some of the student´s art pieces.
Upon agreement, it is possible to visit school workshops, where you can see students working in cutting, engraving, painting and chandelier workshops. Visitors can also see the atelier of applied painting.