Manufactory for mouth-blown hollow glass, lighting glass, custom-made glass, restoration and glass components for heritage conservation
Glasmanufaktur HARZKRISTALL GmbH
Blankenburg (Harz) OT DerenburgNew on Amplifa
About Glasmanufaktur Harzkristall
The Glasmanufaktur Harzkristall in Derenburg on the Harz was founded in 1949 by Sudeten German glassmakers as VEB Glaswerk and is today one of the last mouth-blown glassworks still producing in Germany. The production programme includes mouth-blown glass products, high-quality lighting glass, vases, drinking glasses and custom-made items of all kinds for private and commercial customers – from historical glass for heritage-listed objects to luminaire glass for lighting manufacturers, object-specific luminaire developments and artistic works. Production takes place classically at the furnace, via lampworking, fusing, casting and pressing, complemented by cold working such as grinding, sawing, drilling and sandblasting. The glass itself is not melted; pre-melted glass nuggets are melted in the furnace. Reference objects can be found, among others, in Berlin Cathedral, in the Paul-Löbe-Haus of the German Bundestag, in Hamburg City Hall and in the Lokhalle Göttingen. Since 2013, the manufactory has belonged to the Gerhard Bürger Foundation and, with its demonstration workshop, adventure tour and shopping world, is also a tourist destination.
- Site
- Blankenburg (Harz) OT Derenburg
- Processes
- Mouth blowing / classical production at the furnace (mouth-blown glass products), Lampworking (work at the lamp), Fusing, Casting (glass casting), Cold working – grinding, Cold working – sawing, Cold working – drilling, Cold working – sandblasting
- Materials
- Glass (tube/hollow glass, lighting glass), Crystal glass, Opal glass (white), Colored glass (70 different colored glasses, 10 colored glasses per project), Foam glass, Crackle glass, Glass nuggets (pre-melted glass; components: 75% sand, soda, lime, potash), Colored glass (70 colored glasses)
- Founded
- 1949
- Industries
- Heritage conservation, Hotel & gastronomy, Public buildings, Art & design, Tourism
- 01
Melting pre-melted glass nuggets in the furnace
- 02
Mouth-blowing at the furnace or lampworking, fusing/casting or pressing
- 03
Cold working (grinding, sawing, drilling, sandblasting, acid etching)
- 04
Assembly of glass and fittings according to customer specification
Materials and processes
Crystal glass
Used, among other things, for cast and pressed glass tiles as well as lighting glass spheres.
Opal glass (white)
Used for historical ceiling bowl glasses, e.g. for the Meininger Theater.
Colored glass (70 colored glasses)
Used in lighting installations such as the system in the Paul-Löbe-Haus with 70 different colored glasses.
Foam glass
Part of the repertoire of historical glass forms for heritage conservation.
Crackle glass
Historical glass form for restorations and custom-made items.
Glass nuggets (pre-melted glass)
Raw material made of sand, soda, lime and potash, which is melted in the company's own furnace.
Sites
Derenburg
DEProduction, demonstration workshop, adventure world, shopping world, café & bistro
- Lot size
- Batch sizes from 1 to N
- Materials
- Glass, crystal glass, opal glass, colored glass
- Melting furnace (new building 2017/2019)
- Warming drum
- Lamp burner
- Zapfen furnace (glassblowing annealing oven)
- Glassmaker's blowpipe
- Pressing machine for glass lenses
- Fixed-blow steel mold for glass blocks
Glass products and components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth blowing / classical production at the furnace (mouth-blown glass products)Casting | – | – | – | 1 | Glass |
| Lampworking (work at the lamp)Casting | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| FusingCasting | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Casting (glass casting)Casting | – | – | – | – | Glass, Crystal glass |
| Cold working – grindingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Cold working – sawingMachining | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Cold working – drillingMachining | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Cold working – sandblastingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Acid etching (acid-matte glass)Surface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Deep-cut decoration with acid-polished wedge cutsSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Pressing of glass (e.g. glass lenses, glass tiles)Casting | – | – | – | – | Glass, Crystal glass |
| Mold blowing of glass blocks in fixed-blow steel moldCasting | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Melting pre-melted glass nuggets in the furnace (no own glass melting)Casting | – | – | – | – | Glass nuggets (pre-melted glass) |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melting furnace | – | 1 | – | 2017 | Derenburg |
| Furnace (new building) | – | 1 | – | 2019 | Derenburg |
| Warming drum | – | – | – | – | Derenburg (glassworks / rental) |
| Burner (glassblowing/lamp burner) | – | – | – | – | Derenburg |
| Zapfen furnace (glassblowing annealing oven) | – | – | – | – | Derenburg |
| Glassmaker's blowpipe | – | – | – | – | Derenburg |
| Special pressing machine (pressing of glass lenses) | – | – | – | – | Derenburg |
| Fixed-blow steel mold (for glass blocks) | – | – | – | – | Derenburg |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1900
Construction of the building as an old transformer station
- 1946
Foundation of the hollow glass finishing cooperative Wernigerode as a resettler cooperative by Sudeten Germans expelled from their homeland
- 1949
Foundation of VEB Glaswerk Harzkristall Derenburg by Sudeten German glassmakers
- 1962
Fritz Wondrejz becomes the company's most significant glass designer
- 1966
The glassworks is taken over by the University of Industrial Design Halle, Burg Giebichenstein
- 1990
The glass manufactory becomes property of the Treuhand
- 1993
Takeover by the state of Saxony-Anhalt as Staatliche Glasmanufaktur Harzkristall GmbH
- 2004
Privatization on 1 October as Glasmanufaktur Harzkristall GmbH
- 2006
Tourism Award of Saxony-Anhalt for the tourism reorientation
- 2013
Foundation of the Gerhard Bürger Foundation; Harzkristall is transferred to the foundation
- 2016
1st International Glass Design Competition of the foundation
- 2017
New construction of the melting furnace, redesign of the ADVENTURE tour with cinema extension
- 2018
2nd International Glass Design Competition
- 2019
New construction of the furnace, extension of the guide system; world's largest detail-accurate glass globe by Manfred Küttner in the exhibition room
- 2023
Manual glass production declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO
- 2024
75th anniversary, redesign of the glassworks garden and adventure playground, 3rd Glass Design Award
- 2025
Production of over 150 glass lenses for the renovation of Olympiapark Berlin (Haus des Deutschen Sports)