Voir la source de The Birthplace Of The Bauble: Small German Mountain Village Responsible For Creating Traditional Christmas Decoration

The birthplace of the bauble: Small German mountain village responsible for creating traditional Christmas decoration <br>Lauscha, in the German state of Thuringen, began making Christmas baubles in the 17th CenturyDecoration became fashionable after a picture of Queen Victoria's Christmas tree, covered in glass ornaments from Germany, was printed in 1846East Germany's [http://www.techandtrends.com/?s=communist%20government communist government] turned most of Lauscha's glassworks into state-owned concerns after World War II <br>20 small glass-blowing firms now active in Lauscha after fall of Berlin Wall<br> By  <br>  Published:  02:14 BST, 4 December 2012   |  Updated:  11:31 BST, 4 December 2012   <br>   <br><br><br><br><br><br></a>      <br>For many, one of the most enjoyable parts of Christmas is gathering around a fir tree with family to spend a few hours decorating it with baubles, beads and treats.<br><br>But in one small town in Germany, this tradition means a little bit more, as it is where the first ever Christmas baubles were made.<br><br>While the glass balls bought today may have been manufactured in China, Mexico, or the USA, the originals were invented in Germany and a small mountain village of Lauscha is considered to be the birthplace of the handmade, glass-blown Christmas bauble.<br>                The spirit of Christmas: A shop in Lauscha, in the German state of Thuringen, displays the locally produced Christmas baubles <br><br>       Birthplace of the bauble: The family of Weschenfelder work on Christmas balls in their combined living room and work space in the small village of Lauscha<br> <br> <br>      Still going strong: There are now 20 small glass-blowing companies in the mountain village of Lauscha in German Thuringia<br> <br>In the late 16th century, Lauscha, in the German state of Thuringen, became known for its excellence in glass-blowing.<br><br><br><br><br>Lauscha, located in a river valley, had several elements needed for glass-making: timber, for firing the glass ovens, and sand.<br>   RELATED ARTICLES                  <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br><br><br><br>In 1597, Christoph Muller and Hans Greiner set up Lauscha's first glassworks and very soon, Glashutten (glassworks) were [https://www.martindale.com/Results.aspx?ft=2&frm=freesearch&lfd=Y&afs=established established] in the town. <br><br><br>Lauscha's Glashutten eventually produced drinking glasses, flasks, glass bowls, glass beads (Glasperlen), and in 1835, local glass blower Ludwig Muller- Uri invented the artificial human eye from glass.<br><br>      The original decorations: The earliest hand blown Christmas tree ornaments from glass were attached to each other to form a chain<br>                 The factories in the town became state-owned while under the East German communist government <br><br> <br> <br>      Christmas antiques: Glass-blown balls for the Christmas tree dating back from the 1860s<br> <br> In 1847 Hans Greiner began producing glass ornaments in the shape of fruits and nuts.<br><br>The inside of the ornament was made to look silvery, at first with mercury or lead, then later using a special compound of silver nitrate and sugar water.<br><br><br>Soon these unique glass Christmas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe.<br><br>By the 1870s, Lauscha was exporting its unique glass ornaments to Britain.<br><br><br>Glass ornaments had become popular in 1846 when an illustration of Queen Victoria's Christmas tree was printed in a London paper. The royal tree was decorated with glass ornaments from Prince Albert's native land of Germany.<br>     Realistic: The glass masters of Lauscha could already make high quality, life like artificial human eyes in the 19th century<br>                 A beautiful display of  Christmas ornaments in a Lauscha shop, left, and Christmas ornaments hand blown to a mold from early 20th century in the glass museum of Lauscha, right<br><br>       These old baubles that capture the spirit of Christmas can still be seen in a Lauscha museum<br> <br>In the 1880s the American dime-store magnate F.<br><br>W. Woolworth discovered Lauscha's Glaskugeln during a visit to Germany. He made a fortune by importing the German glass ornaments to the U.S.<br><br><br>Unfortunately, the end of World War II meant that East Germany's communist government turned most of Lauscha's glassworks into state-owned concerns and  [https://www.garnelenshop-bayern.de/GlasGarten ArtemiaGlasGarten] it wasn't until the Berlin Wall came down, that most of the firms were re-established as private companies.<br><br><br>Today there are still about 20 small glass-blowing firms active in Lauscha and to celebrate this festive heritage, a famous Christmas Ball-market takes place every year which attracts thousands of visitors to this snow topped picturesque location.<br>      Modern day production: A glass artist forms an item with a torch in Lauscha<br> <br> <br>                Tourist attraction: Thousands of visitors descend on Lauscha at Christmas to see glass artists such as Enrico Schiffel, pictured left, at work at the Farbglashtte<br> <br> <br>                Ornaments: Old traditional glass baubles made in Lauscha can still be seen in the town <br><br> <br> <br>      Hard at work: Artists Enrico Schiffel, Ricardo Scholtz and Hugo Ellmer work on glass ornaments at the Farbglashtte - a factory that can trace its history back to the late 1500s<br>  <br><br> <br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br> <br>