Acest ornament specific impodobirii bradului
de Craciun are o istorie de mai bine de 150 de ani. Totul a inceput in micul orasel Lauscha, din
Germania, unde exista un atelier de sticlarie, inca din secolul al XVI-lea,
care producea pe atunci, pahare si instrumentar pentru farmacie.
Pe la mijlocul secolului al XIX-lea, mai exact in anul 1847, suflatorul de
sticla Hans Greiner, fiind foarte sarac si neavand nuci pentru a impodobi
bradul, cum era obiceiul atunci, i-a venit ideea sa confectioneze din sticla
colorata mici forme care sa fie asemanatoare fructelor si nucilor de pus in
brad. De atunci s-a inceput productia de ornamente din sticla care aveau
diverse forme si care puteau fi agatate in bradul de Craciun.
Globurile, ca ornamente, au cunsocut un succes foarte mare intr-o perioada de
timp mica, ceea ce a dus la producerea lor la scara industriala. Odata cu
producerea lor, a venit nevoia si de ale face pe acestea cat mai deosebite si
cat mai frumoase. Astfel, diversi artisti au inceput sa picteze nenumarate modele
pe acestea. Procedeul era urmator: globurile erau scoase din cuptor, lasate la
racit si apoi erau suflate cu o solutie de nitrat de argint, tehnica dezvoltata
in anul 1850 de catre Justus Von Liebig. Dupa acesta operatiune globurile
puteau fi pictate manual.
In anul 1880, omul de afaceri american F. W. Woolwarth, aflat pentru o perioada
de timp in oraselul Lauscha, afla de atelierele de aici care fabricau globurile
si dezvolta o mare afacere prin importarea acestor ornamente de sticla in SUA.
In anul 1923, in Lauscha este infiintata prima scoala unde se preda art
prelucrarii sticlei si totodata tehnicile de fabricare a ornamentelor pentru
Craciun.
Dupa cel de al Doilea Razboi Mondial, orasul Lauscha se va afla pe teritoriul
RDG-ului, iar fabrica de ornamente va fi nationalizata. Tot atunci familia
Muller-Blech, care se afla la conducerea fabricii de mai bine de 13 generatii,
reuseste sa fuga in RFG unde va constinua fabricarea ornamentelor din sticla
pentru Craciun in orasul Neustadt. Totusi, cativa dintre membrii familiei aleg
sa ramana in Lauscha si incearca sa salveze o parte dintre mulaje, pe care le
trimit in Vest prin anumite subterfugii, pentru a nu fi oprite la vama. Unul
dintre acestea era cel in care doamna Muller-Blech ii trimitea nepotului sau
Klaus pachetele cu jumatati de mulaje, insotite de mesajul „Iata niste mulaje,
ca sa ai cu ce sa te joci in nisip”. Dupa alte cateva saptamani trimitea si
cealalta parte a mulajelor respective.
Astazi, in Lauscha exista 20 de ateliere de sticla care fabrica in continuare
globuri pentru Craciun, productia atingand 5 milioane de globuri in fiecare an.
Fii pozitiv !
Alege viata !
This type of ornament, specifically created to decorate the Christmas tree, has a history of more than 150 years. It all started in the little town of Lauscha, in Germany, where there was a glass workshop, right from the sixteenth century, which was then producing glasses and pharmaceutical equipment.
Around the mid-nineteenth century, more exactly in 1847, the glass blower Hans Greiner, being very poor and not having walnuts to decorate the tree, as it was the tradition then, he had the idea to make, out of colored glass, small shapes that would be similar to the fruits and walnuts used to decorate the tree. From that moment, the manufacturing of glass ornaments, with various shapes, and that could be hanged in the Christmas tree has started.
The ornaments had great success in a very short period of time, which led to their industrial scale production. Once they were manufactured, there came the need to make them more special and more beautiful. And so, different artist started to paint numerous models on them. The process was this: the globes were taken out of the oven, left to cool down, and then blown with silver nitrate solution, a technique developed in 1850 by Justus Von Liebig. After this phase, the globes could be manually painted.
In 1880, the American businessman F.W. Woolwarth, who was temporarily staying in Lauscha, finds out about the workshops in which the globes were made and develops a big business by importing these glass ornaments in the USA.
In 1923, the first glass manufacturing, and Christmas glass ornament making school is founded.
After the Second World War, the town of Lauscha will become GDR teritory, and the ornament factory will be nationalized. Also then, the Mueller-Blech family, which was at the factory's leadership for more than 13 generations, manages to escape to FRG, were it will continue the glass ornament manufacturing in the city of Neustadt.
Still, a few family members choose to stay in Lauscha, and try to save a part of the castings, which they send to the West by some subterfuges, to prevent their taking at the customs.One of them was the one by which Mrs. Muller-Blech was sending her grandson Klaus packages with half casts with the message "here are some casts, so you have something to play in the sand". After a few weeks she would send the other halves.
Today, there are 20 workshops in Lauscha which continue to produce globes for Christmas, the production coming close to 5 million globes each year.
Be positive!
Choose life!
Translated by Elena Popescu
