Meisenthal, like a few better known villages around as: St Louis, Lalique, Baccarat, were built around a glass or cristal factory. The museum guides explain that the secret of the chemistry for making glass and cristal, was so precious at the time, that it was always set up in very remote valleys were spies could not go unnoticed…. another explanation is the need for enormous amounts of wood necessary to keep the kilns going day and night. Although only about an hour from Strasbourg, the village does have a little-red-riding-hood-in-the woods feeling about it..
The site verrier is the local Meisenthal factory 1711-1969 being recycled and getting a news lease of life. There is a museum showing extraordinary pieces of Emile Gallé’s Art Nouveau work, a huge warehouse now housing contemporary art exhibitions and festivals, and the CIAV (Centre International d’Art Verrier)
Suivez le guide……
La grande Halle with an installation by Ayse Erkmen (on the lights..)
The museum, with Art Nouveau glass, many of them by Emile Gallé who started his carreer in meisenthal before starting his own manufacture in Nancy
The CIAV, were the traditional glass christmas decorations are still produced, as are new designs in collaboration with various invited designers. It’s great place to see glass blowing as there is a very cosy mezzanine were you can sit and admire the craftsmanship of the newer generation of glass blowers.
Great place to buy cool christmas tree decorations, which they also ship 🙂
See the collection here:
