Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Filling the remote-feeling woods between Växjö and Kalmar with busy glass-
making workshops
,
Sweden's famous Glasriket (“Kingdom of Crystal”) is
worth ▲▲ for drivers. It's touristy, yes—but it also wins over skeptics.
There's something to please everybody here: Shoppers thrill at the chance to
pick up deeply discounted factory seconds, art-lovers enjoy seeing all of the
creative uses for glass, and engineers are fascinated by the skilled glassblowers
who persuade glowing globs of molten glass to become fine pieces of table-
ware or art.
Visiting a glassworks
(glasbruk)
has three parts: the shop; an exhibition of
attractive pieces by local artists; and the hot shop, or
hytta,
where glassblowers
are hard at work. At most glassworks, it's possible to walk through the hot
shop—close enough to feel the heat from the globs of glass as they're being
worked (come before the 15:00 quitting time). The shops and exhibitions are
usually free, but sometimes charge a token admission fee. To visit the hot shop,
most places technically charge admission—but since there's nobody posted at
the hot-shop door at smaller glassworks, in practice you can usually just stroll
through for free. Taking a guided tour of at least one hot shop—which costs
extra—is a must to really understand the whole process. (For starters, read the
“Glassmaking in Sweden” sidebar.)
The glassworks I describe in this chapter are a representative mix of the 15
or so that you can visit in Glass Country, ranging from big corporate factor-
ies to charming artistic workshops. On the corporate side, the Kosta company
dominates; its flagship Kosta Boda complex is the biggest and most accessible
of all the glassworks (though its smaller subsidiaries, Åfors and Orrefors, are
also tourable). But round out your look at the region with at least one smal-
ler, independent producer as well (Transjö Glashytta is the most appealing, but
I've also described Bergdala and Mats Jonasson Målerås). And, for a change
of pace, you can learn about traditional papermaking (at the Lessebo mill) and
the local moose population. For more tips on which glassworks to visit—and
which to skip—see “Planning Your Time,” below.
