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.

Mapa

A Hejnice treasure returns: A crystal chandelier will shine once again after 170 years

One of the largest historic chandeliers in the Liberec Region is returning home after extensive professional restoration at the Preciosa Lighting workshops. This unique light fixture from the first half of the 19th century will once again shine in the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Hejnice before Easter. In March, the Archbishop of Prague, Monsignor Stanislav Přibyl, personally inspected the progress of the work, accompanied by representatives of the town and the monastery.

The restoration by the Lightkeepers team confirmed the extraordinary craftsmanship of the original glassmakers. Instead of using expensive threaded fittings, they opted for a unique method of securing the arms to pins, which continues to protect the structure from corrosion to this day. Each of the thousands of glass components is a hand-cut original—it takes a glassmaker over 80 minutes to produce a single replacement prism to replace the original ones.

The technical specifications of this colossus are equally impressive. The complete fixture, standing 4.5 meters tall, weighs a total of 445.5 kilograms and features 8,889 glass components held together by an incredible 17,301 brass rivets. The pendants alone weigh 207 kilograms. The modernized electrical wiring contains over 130 meters of new cables. Although Preciosa has restored chandeliers for Prague Castle as well, the Hejnice piece is entirely unique in its construction.


The ceremonial lighting at the Hejnice Cathedral will take place on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 8:00 p.m., when the artwork will be unveiled to the public for the first time in all its glory.

20.3.2026