Learn About German Ornaments History.
Even before man learned the secret of Christmas glass ornament making, nature made glass in two different ways. When lightning strikes sand, the heat sometimes fuses the sand into long, slender glass tubes called fulgurites, which are commonly called petrified lightning. The terrific heat of a volcanic eruption can also sometimes fuse the rocks and sands into a glass called obsidian. Most countries of the world have glass industries. For many years, Germany was the major world source for optical glass, laboratory glassware, Christmas glass ornaments and blown glass ornaments. The invention of the blowpipe by some unknown artisan helped bring about the craft of glass ornament blowing into the fine art of Christmas glass ornaments we know today. Glass blowing in Germany dates as far back as the 1500’s. Christmas German glass ornaments blowing began as a cottage industry in Lauscha East Germany and spread through most of the German country side. Items originally produced were not Christmas ornaments but practical items used mostly in the home. Beginning in the 1860’s Christmas in Germany would change the world when glass blowing expanded to include delicate ornaments for Christmas trees.
The work and living situation of the Thuringian glass blowers and the distribution of the German ornaments remained almost unchanged from the middle of the 19th century through World War ll. After World War ll, in West Germany, Neustadt became recognized as the production center for toys blown glass ornaments. Neustadt also became a refuge for glass blowers fleeing from Lauscha in Eastern Germany. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
The Muller-Blech family practiced the craft of ornament blowing in the same workshops in Lauscha for thirteen generations. When the Russian occupation of Germany began in 1953, Heinz Muller-Blech took his family and left the homeland. They settled in Neustadt, a territory occupied by Americans, and reestablished what is now the modern day inge-glas workshops. Some other members of the family stayed behind in Lauscha. Many of the molds, used to form the delicate blown glass Christmas ornaments, remained in Lauscha with the Muller-Blech family and other families from the region. Members of the Muller-Blech family went about collecting all the molds they could find. The Russians destroyed all of the old world family molds that had been passed down for generations among all the families in Lauscha and had other molds created that were of a more political in nature, some with the Swastika. Some of the old molds were found in garbage piles, other molds were bartered for. Select this link to view Christmas Ornament Sets.
The Muller-Blech family had some connections that made it easier for people to get electricity faster in East Germany. They would also perform other types of work or even offer money in exchange for the old molds. The molds were in two pieces, so, to ensure that the entire mold would get across the border Klaus Muller-Blech’s grandmother would send them to him in a box of about a dozen or so, but only one half of each mold. She would put a note with the package, “Little Klaus, here are some molds for you to play with in the sand.” By sending the molds this way the border guards would think that the molds were of no importance. Later she would send the other half of the mold in a similar manner. The border guards would have destroyed the molds if they would have known the molds were going across the border to be used to continue the German Christmas ornaments craft of blowing delicate glass ornaments. For many years the old original recipe used to making the molds was lost. Recently the recipe to make the original molds used for making the old world Christmas glass ornaments was found, making inge glas the only company able to exactly reproduce the old molds, which makes their glas inge ornaments more valuable. Click to see all our Christmas Decorations Ideas, for the upcoming holiday season.
The pickle German Ornaments Start The Christmas Presents Opening.
Many unusual glass Christmas ornament traditions and stories have evolved from the German families. The Germany tradition of hanging a Christmas glass ornament pickle on the Christmas tree is the oddest German Christmas ornament story. For those who know the pickle story, and participate in hanging the pickle ornament on the Christmas tree, the German tradition has become a welcome addition to the Christmas present unwrapping dilemma of who is first to open a Christmas package. The pickle ornament is always the last ornament to be hung on the Christmas tree, with the parents hiding the pickle glass ornament in the Christmas tree among all the other ornaments. When the children are allowed to view the Christmas tree they would begin gleefully searching for the German Christmas glass ornament pickle. The children knew that whoever found the pickle ornament first would receive an extra little gift and would be the one to begin the unwrapping of the Christmas gifts. Select this link to view our Glass Pickle Ornaments.
Christmas in Germany has become synonymous with the Inge German Christmas glass ornaments. The Inge-glas glass ornament company is a combination of two German glass blowing families. One of the German ornament makers is the Muller family who dates their German Christmas ornaments back to the 1500’s. The other ornament maker is the Eichhorn’s family who dates their German ornament blowing back nearly as many years. Each generation took care to share their expertise with the next generation of glass blowers to follow. In the 1960’s young Klaus Muller-Blech, a 14th generation descendant, and Birgit Eichhorn Jeremias-Sohn spent countless hours in the German workshops of their grandparents and parents in Neustadt, Germany. The ornaments makers learned various aspects of the profession. Both grew to love the German vocation and realized that creating glass ornaments was undeniably ingrained in their spirit. The two glass ornament blowers continued to work in the profession of their forefathers into adulthood. Select this link to view our Glass Ornaments.
In 1992, a convention of antique Christmas glass ornament collectors was held in Reading, Pennsylvania. Another Germany tradition was about to start when Klaus and Birgit, who had not yet met, separately made arrangements to attend the convention in order to search for the German ornaments of their families’ past. Imagine the two traveling over 3000 miles from the small town of Neustadt to finally meet each other for the first time in the United States! The two fell in love and were married. Christmas in Germany would never be the same for the two families.
Germany would have a new glass ornament company that would be created by two of the oldest German ornament makers. The German families joined forces and combined their tradition and skills at the Inge-glas workshops. Together their collection includes more than 6000 antique blown glass ornaments molds dating from the 1850’s. In addition, new ornaments are created each year to represent the traditions of today.
Inge’s glass Christmas ornaments heirlooms, named for Klaus Muller-Blech’s mother represents much more than a collection of ornaments. The German company is still a family operated business and has became synonymous with German glass ornaments. To find out if you own any original Inge-glas ornaments, look for the authentic star crown ornament holder. This star crown is the Inge-glas trademark. The Inge-glas ornaments are recognizable as one of the oldest generational German Christmas ornament makers. Select this link to view our Blown Glass Birds. The old world Christmas company marketed the Inge-glass ornaments in the United States until the year 2000. The old world Christmas ornaments marketing literature using the old world Christmas name and the Inge star crown ornament holder will become a collector item in years to come.
In the year 2000 Inge-glas took over the old world Christmas ornament marketing and since then, Inge-glas has established their own distribution site in the United States. Just like the German ornaments, which was passed down by their parents and grandparents, Inge’s heirloom ornaments will be carried on for generations to come bringing joy to the world.
Packing Your German Ornaments For Glass Ornament Storage.
To care for and protect your Glas Inge blown glass ornaments for years to come, please be mindful of the following ornament storage suggestions. For ornament storage always wrap your ornaments individually in acid free tissue paper and pack your ornaments securely in a sturdy shallow ornament storage box, making sure not to place too many layers of ornaments on top of each other. One layer of ornaments is ideal. The Glas Inge ornaments should have a ornament storage box made of very sturdy paper cardboard. Plastic bubble wrap or plastic ornament storage containers do not allow the ornaments to have proper ventilation. Particularly if the ornaments are stored in a warm place like an attic or in a humid place like a basement. Also be sure to take care to store your ornament box in a safe, dry place away from water, sun light, fluorescent lights and outside elements. To see our ornament storage boxes. Select this link to view our Ornament Storage Boxes. We hope you enjoy your Glas Inge ornaments that are made in Germany for many years to come.
Christmas as we know it today began in Europe! |
