Vitrium Glassworks - Janov nad Nisou

The Vitrum Glassworks, Janov nad Nisou. (Johannesburg) This was the German name of the town, situated in the Jizera mo in Sudetenland. After world war 2, the area became Czechoslovakia, and the ethnic Germans were expelled, and town names were changed. Zjohannesburg became a Janov nad Nisou. (A small village next to Jablonec nad Nisou). The Nisou is a river that runs through the region.

The glassworks which stand on the left of road from Loučná – to Janov were built by J. Schorm in 1911-12 to a design by Wilhelm Scholz. The building has a notable roof with ridge skylights and vents, and gable ends decorated with Jizera district architectural motifs.

In addition to the furnace the glassworks included an administrative block and auxiliary buildings. Production was in line with traditions of glassmaking in the Jablonec region including raw materials for the extensive local glass jewellery industry, established by the Riedl family. Semi-products were produced there for a then successful export article – decorative glass bracelets (bangles). After the outbreak of WWI exporting experienced difficulties and production was confined to hand-drawn glass rods and pressed glass – Jablonec crystal. Upon nationalization the glassworks became part of the United Jablonec Glassworks, and later still the State Jablonec Glassworks in Desná. Jablonec Glasssworks augmented production in the 1950s and undertook building alterations to accommodate modernization of production while maintaining the original layout.

After glass rod production had been transferred to Lučany and Desná, the Janov plant concentrated its activities on the manufacture of crystal and optical semi-products. The business was privatized in 1993 to become Vitrum s.r.o., which brought the new company further opportunities for the expansion and preservation of production. Today there are three furnaces in operation, one of which is available for visitor tours. They are Knobloch furnaces with five and two pots respectively, and one Siemens-Siebert furnace with twelve pots. The cooling system consists of two conveyor and two chamber furnaces. Glass raw materials produced here are both transparent and opaque, in a variety of colours. In the present day manufacture covers a broad spectrum of products ranging from minute candlesticks to complex light fitting components and attractive, hand fashioned bowls in all colours and shapes. Most production is for export. The Vitrum Glassworks was the first business of its kind in the Jablonec region to open its doors to the public and display traditional glasswork with professional guides, and the sale of selected items produced in-house.

‘The above paragraph was taken from the history of Vitrium from their website.

Edited by OHK v Jablonci nad Nisou

Translation: EDUCA – vzdělávací centrum, s.r.o., Jablonec nad Nisou

Every year we go to Vitrium SRO to purchase beautiful glass jewelry boxes and other assorted vases and knick knacks produced in their glassworks. About 3 years ago (2012) they closed their gift shop to the public due to lack of customers, but we knocked on the doors and demanded to see the owner so we could buy from the shop along with the 14 customers with us on our tour. He did so, and for the first time we were able to go into production on our custom orders we placed through him. Before that, no one we met spoke english and we could not communicate our intentions.

The next year when we showed up with our tour group we knocked on the door and demanded that the gift shop be opened up for us, and this time I jumped the counter and assisted the sales girl in pulling items off the shelves for the customers to buy. We all had so much fun, the tour guests gobbled up a lot of the glassware, me, being an impromptu sales man, the sales girls, who had never seen something like this occur before. Even the owner and his son came down to watch the action.

Every year he tells us this might be the last year the glassworks will be in business, as sales are dropping due to competition from China.

This year (2015) we made an appointment over the internet (via email) to go shopping in the gift shop with our tour group, and the owner said we would be disappointed in his selection, as it is sparse. I think Vitrium is coming to an end, after 104 years of business. Vitrium is the only glassworks in the area to produce this type of glassware.

After our visit I can report that the closed gift shop (which was opened just for our tour group) was very successful. The shelves were heavily stocked with glass jewelry boxes and many other items. J-Me reported that the back office where she went to speak to the owner was very busy with salesmen, receptionists, secretaries and other people running around and generally working frantically. Business appeared to be good.

In May, 2017 Vitrium Glassworks closed its doors to ornamental glassware production. It specializes now only on technical glass such as beakers, tubes and medical supply glassware. In 2024 Vitrium was purchased by a glass marble company in Jablonec, and with the purchase was included all the antique molds of vases and jewelry boxes. History has been preserved.

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J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads; a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons. They also run working button and bead tours to Jablonec.