Handgjorda juldekorationer i Tjeckien - ett unescoarv

Writer: Helena Bergström

Handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic, made from blown glass beads, have a long tradition. Now the production process has been added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. We visited the Rautis company, where Christmas decorations are made as they have always been.

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On the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage

The traditional Czech production of handmade Christmas decorations from blown glass beads has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2020. The heritage refers to the process of making glass beads using a heated tube, which are then silvered, coloured and decorated by hand.

The tradition is an important cultural feature of the Giant Mountains and Jizera Mountains in northern Bohemia, where blown glass beads have been produced since the late 19th century.

The tradition of blowing glass beads and making Christmas decorations was handed down for a long time in the families of the region. Most of the small workshops did not survive the period of transformation of the socialist economy, but the Kulhavý family managed to continue production, thus becoming carriers of the culture, and today you can visit their Rautis workshop in the village of Poniklá.

You can also learn more about the tradition in various museums, and the Christmas decorations also appear in various folk tales about Krakonoš, the legendary ruler of the mountains.

Visiting Rautis in Poniklá

The Rautis company is located in the village of Poniklá, which you can find southeast of Liberec in northern Bohemia. The village is about 13 kilometres northeast of Prague.

We travelled here by car, on a press trip/study tour together with representatives of the Czech Tourist Board and a small group of Swedish journalists and tour operators. We managed the feat of arriving too early in the morning, but luckily there was an open coffee cart in the village of Poniklá.

After coffee, it was time to visit the company Rautis, for a guided tour and a workshop.

Guided tour - blowing glass beads

We went on a guided tour, where you can see the process step by step. First, we saw the production of the glass beads, which is done with a gas-powered machine invented in 1876 (!). With this machine, the beads could be preserved faster, and a skilled craftsman can produce 3600 glass beads in one day.

rautis - handgjorda juldekorationer i Tjeckien

A gas flame is lit and the beads are made in a row. These will later be silvered, coloured and decorated by hand, to be used in many different types of Christmas decorations. Our guide told us that there are around 20,000 different varieties of decorations.

On the ceiling we could look up at an aeroplane made of thousands of glass beads. Fascinating craftsmanship!

Adding shine and colour

Work on these handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic is done at different stations. After the beads are blown, they are silvered.

Then they have to be coloured, in one of the many different colours.

Then they should be painted and assembled into different shapes. If the same figure is to have many colours, the colours must be applied one at a time and dry between each round.

The characters? Stars are common, but the beads can also be assembled into princesses, clocks, Christmas trees, bicycles or just about anything you can think of.

Workshop - making your own handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic

After a guided tour of Rautis, you can try making your own handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic - in a workshop. We were given the task of making the most basic shape, a star. We chose the colours ourselves and then followed the instructions as best we could.

The result? Well, not too bad, right? The red/silver one on the left is Peter's work and the other Helena's. However, we managed to not break the record of putting together a star like this in one minute and 30 seconds ...

Shopping for handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic

You can, of course, buy handmade Christmas decorations in the company's shop if you wish. If you didn't know what was behind it, you'd almost think it was some mass-produced Christmas decoration that you'd see in normal shops. When you see the work behind it, from blowing the little glass beads to every step of the way, you see the products differently.

Did we get anything from here? Yes, a present was bought!

See more in the neighbourhood

Poniklá is located in the area known as Crystal Valley, where there are plenty of glassworks and glass artists. There are also plenty of small and medium-sized breweries and dramatic scenery, such as Hrubá Skála and Prachovske Skaly. It is also not far to the pleasant the city of Liberec.

Did you know about the tradition of handmade Christmas decorations?

Did you know that the process of making handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Do you like this type of craft?

Facts about Rautis for visitors

Country: Czech Republic
Area: Bohemia (Bohemia)
Region: Liberec (Liberecky kraj)
Address: Poniklá No. 153.
Read more: You can find more information at company website.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: Rautis is open every day, except for certain public holidays. See the company's website for up-to-date information.
Prices: A guided tour costs 80 czk for adults (about 32 seconds) and 40 czk for children (about 16 seconds) for children (2021).
Guided tours: Guided tours are given every day, except for public holidays when the company is closed. Guided tours are usually in Czech, with written texts in English. See the company's website for current times.
Workshop: Try making your own Christmas decorations. Workshop does not need to be booked in advance for individual visitors. Need to be booked in advance for groups.

11 Comments

Add yours →

Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Wow, I like this!
It's exciting to learn more about them too.
I haven't checked in with you for a long time, busy renovating my house in Sweden, but I finally looked in. There is a lot to catch up on, I see.
Have a nice weekend!

02 October 2021 - 8:50

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Fun and interesting indeed! And nice that you look in again! Fully understand that you are busy with different things from time to time. That's how it is for us too, even though we have a bunch of blogs we like to follow 🙂.
  
  02 October 2021 - 18:48
  
BP says:

A very interesting post about a craft I didn't know existed, not in that "format" anyway.
Not my piece, but your stars were very nice:-)

02 October 2021 - 18:11

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We didn't know this before either, really interesting! What style you like is different. It is easily colourful, but can be made a little more stylish as well 😉.
  
  02 October 2021 - 18:50
  
Geddfish says:

No idea about this craft! Very interesting and beautiful. It would have been when the children were small. Nowadays I don't pick up blingbling. But understand that this is exclusive. Nice stars you made!
Thanks for the great info 😀
Kram, Gerd

02 October 2021 - 18:16

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Really interesting! Understand what you mean, a little more fun with Christmas decorations when you have smaller children around you! We usually do not have so many decorations either, but now we have two stars anyway! 🙂
  
  02 October 2021 - 18:52
  
JoY says:

What a craft, there's a lot of work behind one thing. When you made your stars, are the beads strung on fishing line? A bit too kitschy for me when you see the whole thing, but I'm sure it looks great with one.

02 October 2021 - 18:25

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, there is a lot of work behind each individual product. Fascinating and so different from all the mass-produced ornaments you are used to!!! What we threaded the beads on was a little harder than fishing line, maybe like thin steel wire.
  
  02 October 2021 - 18:54
  
Seija Viitamäki-Carlsson says:

I appreciate your dedicated travel reporting. In 2019 we followed your tracks and your tips. Now I hope you will make a new guidebook about Northern Bohemia with all these wonderful places and cities in the Czech Republic. Best motorhome tourism country🥰.

03 October 2021 - 8:04

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you, how nice to hear Seija! We start with some shorter reports, so we can probably put everything together into a guide then! 🙂 Surely the Czech Republic is a wonderful motorhome country!
  
  03 October 2021 - 8:29
  
Lena - gott för själen says:

Fascinating! Didn't know about the process at all. Let alone that it was on the World Heritage List. What craftsmanship!

Hug Lena

27 December 2021 - 7:25

Handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic - a UNESCO heritage site

Writer: Helena Bergström

On the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage

Visiting Rautis in Poniklá

Guided tour - blowing glass beads

Adding shine and colour

Workshop - making your own handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic

Shopping for handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic

See more in the neighbourhood

Did you know about the tradition of handmade Christmas decorations?

Facts about Rautis for visitors

Services and practical information

You might also like:

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11 Comments

Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Geddfish says:

Helena says:

JoY says:

Helena says:

Seija Viitamäki-Carlsson says:

Helena says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

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