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Kosta Boda Mats Jonasson
Orrefors Bergdala
 
   
   
 
 
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Kosta Boda
It all started in Kosta 
Kosta Boda is a part of the largest Nordic group of glassworks. The heart of the business can be found in the Kingdom of Crystal in Småland, Sweden. Almost a million people visit this region every year. Kosta glassworks was founded in 1742 and is the oldest Swedish glassworks. Kosta is often referred to as "the Mother of the Kingdom of Crystal" because many other glassworks in the area were founded by master glassblowers from Kosta. The name Kosta itself is a combination of the last names of the founders: Koskull and Staël von Holstein.
 
A picturesque place in the forest of Småland 
Whoever visits the glassworks will step into a decidedly picturesque environment in the deepest woods of Småland. One might wonder why the glassworks are located so far from any major city. The simple answer is that the forest offered wood that fuelled the furnaces. Wherever fire was used there was also a fire hazard. To avoid blazes in cities, the glassworks were situated at a safe distance from any cities in the region. The glassworks also needed skilled craftsmen, and these were often smuggled out of Bohemia in Germany. At the time Bohemia was a major centre for the production of crystal. It was convenient to found the glassworks in the south of Sweden since this facilitated the journey that the craftsmen had to make. In those days travel wasn't as convenient as it is today.
 
 
 

The artists
Many famous designers work with a wide array of designed glass such as stemware, ranges of plates, vases and bowls. The art glass is continuously exhibited and sold at galleries and museums across the world. The artist is often there in person to open the exhibition. The Kosta Boda artists are Olle Brozén, Anna Ehrner, Kjell Engman, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Bertil Vallien, Göran Wärff, Åsa Jungnelius och Ludvig Löfgren. All the artists are based in Småland, and you can often see them working in the hot shops alongside the glassblowers where their ideas are developed. If you want to see the glassblowers at work you need to arrive early, just like the craftsmen themselves!
 

The hot-shops
 
Bertil Vallien and Ulrica Hydman-Vallien have for many years run the artistic work at Åfors glassworks (which is part of Kosta Boda). Åfors was founded in 1876 by three brothers, and their brother in law. They had all been glassblowers at Kosta and they had the necessary skills to start the new glassworks. A nice historical detail that shows how attached people have become to the glassworks: One of the later owners of Åfors changed his family name from Johansson (a very common Swedish family name) to Åfors.
 
Kjell Engman on the other hand works a stone's throw away at Boda glassworks. He is also involved in the design of Boda Hotel. Already from the beginning the designers at Boda had a pivotal influence on the business. Boda's first official artist liked to combine crystal with metal or wood, which lead to the founding of Boda Iron and Boda Wood.
  
 
 

Genuine craftsmanship all the way
You can really feel certain that crystal from Kosta Boda is a piece of genuine craftsmanship throughout the whole production process. The subsidiary Glasma produces the glass batch preparation, which is melted into glass melt. By producing the raw material in-house you can be sure that that everybody who is involved in the production process has a good work environment, and that all components are environmentally friendly. The ceramic pots that are used to melt glass are also produced in-house to ensure that all components and stages are controlled.
 
Continuous development 
The glassworks Kosta and Boda have reduced their CO2 emissions by 30% since 2003. To spare the environment, lead is no longer used in the crystal. It is inevitable that glass breaks during the course of production. The shards are carefully colour separated to promote recycling. All possible measures are taken to make the company maximally environmentally friendly.
 
If you count all the people that are involved in the production of glass it is clear that the glassworks are important to the old Kingdom of Crystal. The glassworks manage and renew a good tradition and makes our surroundings more beautiful.
 
 
  



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