You will find beautiful
glass Christmas tree decorations in gift shops and on Christmas
market stalls all over the Czech Republic. The tradition of making
these dainty baubles in this country goes back to the 19th
century when glass decorations first replaced apples which had been
used for centuries. Now the Czech craftsmen and factories have to
compete with cheap imports from China, but the quality of the Czech
product is holding its own.
There is a wide range
of styles to choose from. From the contemporary twist (sometimes
literally) on the old designs, to ones which would not have looked
out of place in a Victorian parlour. In addition to the blown balls
and twisted glass, the Czechs also make decorations out of beads. I
found this complex airplane in an “antik” shop on the Castle
Steps in Cesky Krumlov. Most Czech antique shops will have a
selection of old decorations for sale.
The majority of Czech
glass decoration manufacture takes place in the mountainous north and
east. This is because the mountains had the raw materials for glass
manufacture: sand, water and timber for the fires. Christmas tree
decorations is part of a much wider tradition of Czech glass making,
which I intend to talk about in future posts.
