Bohemian Crystal, the Treasure of Czechia

DuVine’s Czech Republic + Austria Bike Tour visits Světlá nad Sázavou, the epicenter of the Czech glassmaking industry, for a demonstration with a local glassblower. But what makes world-famous Bohemian crystal so special? Read on about the history of this Czech handicraft and discover the step-by-step process artisans undertake to make Bohemian glass.

Crystal has been produced in Czechia’s Bohemia and Silesia regions as far back as 1250. But a 17th-century innovation by Caspar Lehmann, a gem cutter for Emperor Rudolph II, gave rise to Bohemian crystal’s unique appearance. Lehman’s new method of engraving the glass came to represent the height of Baroque style popular in the palaces of King Louis XV, Empress Elizabeth of Russia, and Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria.

In the mid-1800s, a school system was established throughout the country to teach glassmaking and preserve the traditional techniques that have endured two World Wars and the Communist era. Though Czech crystal can take the form of stemware, chandeliers, vases, candlesticks, and more, it isn’t just a popular souvenir—it’s a decorative art installed in places like Milan’s La Scala, the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and Versailles.

Crystal is differentiated from glass by the presence of lead, which makes glass softer and easier to cut and engrave. But Bohemian crystal—a designation coined in the 1500s—contains no lead. Instead, it’s made from a mix of potash and chalk, which was found to be more stable than the Italian glass of the time. Czech crystal is so-called to differentiate its superior craftsmanship and quality from other glass.

DuVine guests learn to appreciate Bohemian crystal—especially when the level of skill and number of steps required become apparent. It starts with white crystal heated to 800° Celsius, which is then encased in colored glass and blown. The dual layers of glass will be important when designs are later cut into the crystal, revealing the clear layer beneath and a colored layer on top.

Depending on what its final form will be, the hot glass is blown into handmade wet beech wood molds that will determine its final shape—and the mold-making is an artform of its own. Afterwards, any rough edges are smoothed and sanded on a grinding wheel. To get the glass ready for decoration, each piece is marked with guidelines for glasscutters to follow before it takes a final spin to ensure all lines are straight and level.

Using a diamond-tipped wheel, the glass is cut at different depths to create intricate patterns and dimensions as water flows over the wheel to clear dust and discarded glass. It’s difficult—at times impossible—to see through the colored glass, so the cutters rely on their expertise and experience to avoid cutting through to the inside. To polish the final product, glass is submerged in a pool of acid. Cut portions that were matte and dull before the polishing bath emerge clear and sparkling—a treasure of Bohemia.

Visit a crystal factory and try your hand at glassblowing. Join DuVine on a Czech Republic + Austria Bike Tour.