13th century
How it all began
Bohemia has been making glass since the 13th century. The story begins with Benedictine monks in the Lusatian Mountains, crafting coloured glass for monastery and church windows.
German settlers later brought new techniques to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Deep in the forests, the first glassworks appeared, producing rosary beads, goblets, and cups entirely by hand.
1346–1378
Why Bohemia? The king’s choice
Glassmaking flourished under Charles IV. Bohemia offered every essential ingredient close at hand, giving its makers a natural advantage:
- Pure quartz and silicathe soul of crystal
- White limestone and chalkfor clarity and strength
- Endless foreststo fire kilns at 1,400°C
- Potash from wood ashthe secret ingredient
Bohemian makers discovered that potash and chalk created a clear, colourless glass that was strong and stable. Charles IV used local glass at Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, welcomed master glassmakers from Murano, and commissioned stained glass for the royal palace.
1414 · Early 1500s
The first furnace
The first commercial glassworks opened under Charles IV. In 1414, Chřibská launched the first true window-glass factory; by the early 1500s, 34 factories were operating in the region.
They became known as “forest glassworks”—small workshops built deep in the woods beside fast-running streams. Villages grew around their furnaces, and glassmaking became the centre of local life.
1600s–1750
The golden age of Bohemian chandeliers
In the 1600s, Caspar Lehmann—gem cutter to Emperor Rudolf II—applied jewel-cutting techniques to glass. Facets became sharper, reflections livelier, and crystal took on a new architectural role.
From 1685 to 1750, Bohemia led the world in decorative glass. Its crystal chandeliers illuminated the palaces of Louis XV of France, Maria Theresa of Austria, and Elizabeth of Russia. The enduring formula remained beautifully simple: local chalk and potash produced tough, brilliantly clear crystal ready for a master cutter’s wheel.
1996–Today
Elite Bohemia—Berkana Crystal continues
BERKANA CRYSTAL was founded in 1996 as the first private crystal house of Elite Bohemia. Its chandeliers are still made in the same Crystal Valley, between the Lusatian and Jizera Mountains, where quartz, limestone, wood, and human skill shaped more than 700 years of craft.
Handmade in Bohemia. Hand-cut. Master-polished.