The art of glass making has a centuries-old tradition
in Czechia, dating back to medieval times. The first glass furnace was lit in
Bohemia in 1376 and by the 17th century, a major glass industry was founded in
the north of the country, around the town of Jablonec nad Nisou, but also in
the regions of Zlín and Vysočina.
Despite industrialisation, handmade glass production has survived to this day.
More than 5,000 glassmakers, cutters, engravers, painters, jewellery
manufacturers and designers work in glassworks, family workshops and studios
across the country and their hand-crafted products are sought after all over
the world.
Unlike the other countries that have submitted the joint nomination to UNESCO,
Czech glass production includes all the techniques involved in the glassmaking
process, from grinding, blowing and engraving to painting and producing winding
beads.
The Czech glassmaking industry was already recognised by UNESCO in 2020, when
it added the production of Christmas decorations made from blown glass beads to
the prestigious list.
Czechia now has a total of nine items on the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural
Heritage list. The first to be added was the Slovakian verbuňk dance in 2005,
followed by the Hlinecko region carnival processions, falconry, the Ride of the
Kings tradition, puppeteering, blueprint textile technique, glass-blown
Christmas beads and timber-rafting.
Source: Czech Radio
Prepared by the team of foreign office CzechTrade and CzechInvest Seoul