Germany and Austria have contributed many of the elements that we consider a "natural" part of the Christmas celebration. What would Christmas be without “Silent Night” (Austria) or the Christmas tree (Germany)? But there are other Christmas items we take for granted that have their origins in German Europe. The next time you decorate the Christmas tree (or take the decorations down!), take a closer look at the ornaments. Those shiny glass balls (Glaskugeln) and tinsel (Lametta) are German inventions.
In the late 16th century the small German town of Lauscha, then in the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg, now in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen), became known for its glass-blowing (Glasbläserei). In 1847 Hans Greiner (a descendent of the Hans Greiner who had established Lauscha's first glassworks in 1597) began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln were made in a unque mouth-blown process combined with molds (formgeblasener Christbaumschmuck). The inside of the ornament was made to look silvery, at first with mercury or lead, then later using a special compound of silver nitrate and sugar water. Greiner's sons and grandsons carried on the Christmas ornament tradition. They were also responsible for another product: glass marbles.
After World War II, East Germany turned most of Lauscha's glassworks into state-owned (VEB) concerns. After the Wall came down, most of the firms were reestablished as private companies. Today there are still about 20 small glass-blowing firms active in Lauscha.
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