TravelWorld International Magazine Winter 2022
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalist Association members
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalist Association members
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Karen admiring more than 5,000<br />
different styles of glass Christmas<br />
ornaments on display in the<br />
Krebs Glas Lauscha showroom.<br />
Karen LeBlanc in the Krebs Glas Lauscha showroom, open to the public.<br />
Christmas Crafts<br />
From the Village of LAUSCHA, GERMANY<br />
In the Ancient THURINGIAN FOREST<br />
The Age-Old Art of Handmade, Glass-Blown<br />
and Papier-Mâché Christmas Ornaments Continues<br />
Story and Photos by Karen LeBlanc<br />
ne of my favorite<br />
Christmas<br />
memories as a<br />
child was unspooling<br />
the tissue paper-wrapped<br />
silvered Christmas ornaments<br />
compartmentalized in cardboard<br />
boxes. The entire sensory<br />
experience still stirs my soul,<br />
starting with the anticipation of<br />
waiting at the foot of the attic<br />
ladder as my father handed down<br />
each ornament box. Invigorated<br />
by the scent of fresh pine, I sat<br />
at the Christmas tree, looping<br />
metal hooks on the silvered glass<br />
ornaments, admiring how the<br />
twinkling tree lights danced on<br />
their colored, mirrored surfaces.<br />
6<br />
In November 2021, I traveled to the<br />
source of my childhood fascination<br />
with glass-blown ornaments, to the<br />
cradle of the Christmas tree ball, the<br />
village of Lauscha in the Thuringian<br />
forest of Eastern Germany. This<br />
small village is home to generations<br />
of artisans crafting handmade,<br />
glass-blown Christmas ornaments<br />
and recognized by UNESCO as<br />
“Intangible Cultural Heritage.”<br />
For more than 150 years, the people<br />
of Lauscha have practiced this craft,<br />
passing on the skills and knowledge<br />
to successive generations. Glass<br />
making thrived in this region because<br />
the Thuringian Forest offered ample<br />
glassmaking materials, including<br />
wood to fuel the furnaces, quartz<br />
sand, and limestone. Lauscha glass<br />
dates back to the 16th century when<br />
Christoph Muller and Hans Greiner<br />
built the first glass factory in Lauscha,<br />
producing drinkware, tableware, and<br />
glass beads. Early Lauscha glass has a<br />
greenish tint resulting from the high<br />
iron content in the forest sand and an<br />
infusion of bubbles.<br />
Today, people worldwide collect<br />
and treasure Christmas decorations<br />
from the Thuringian Forest, a region<br />
known as “Christmas Country." The<br />
moniker originated as a tourism<br />
initiative to preserve, promote and<br />
cultivate the region’s traditional<br />
crafts.<br />
Glassblower producing<br />
the mold-blown glass<br />
ornaments of the Lauscha<br />
Exclusive Assortment from<br />
Krebs Glas Lauscha.<br />
7
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