Bohemian Glass.
Bohemian Glass is a decorative glass that has a long tradition. Its history dates as far back as the 11th century when it is said to be produced for the first time. However, its fame and independent character has not started to develop until the second half of the 17th century whenever essential inventions in finishing of glass were made.
The Bohemian Glass finishing industry centred north of Prague in the 18th century and soon the towns Kamenický Šenov, Nový Bor, Jablonec and Čes. Kamenice became the most important production sites. At the beginning of the 19th century already 66 glass factories were located in Bohemia. By foot with a cart and later with a horse-drawn carriage tradesmen exported Bohemian Glass to countries such as Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Denmark, Sweden and Moscow.
A finished Bohemian Glass product has run through more than 50 production steps. This complex and time-consuming process shows how unique and valuable the products are. The glass is hand blown and goes through several firing processes where gases are added which have a considerable influence on the colour and overall quality of the glass. After the firing the surface is washed before the glass grinding starts. By manual work complicated patterns are grinded in the glass. Slight differences in the patterns show that there is entirely manual work behind the finished product.
