The Glass Festival at Kristiánov celebrates life in the mountains and world-class art!
We invite you to the traditional Glass Festival at Kristiánov. It will take place on Saturday, September 5, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the site of the former glassmaking settlement in the heart of the Jizera Mountains. This popular event commemorates the life and work of its former inhabitants. The program will be updated continuously.
The festival will open in the traditional way – by paying tribute to the settlement's founder, Johann Leopold Riedel, at the forest cemetery. This will be followed by a holy mass at the site of the former manor house.
Throughout the day, there will be craft stalls offering traditional glassmaking and artisan goods, as well as creative workshops. Two guided tours of the settlement are also planned, and you can visit the permanent exhibition in the "Liščí bouda" (Fox Lodge).
The Glass Festival at Kristiánov is a unique combination of history, nature, craftsmanship, and experiences for the whole family. The program will take place on Saturday, September 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free.
The program will be finalized!
9:00 a.m. Start of the festival
9:30 a.m. Paying tribute to the founder of the Glass Settlement at the Forest Cemetery
10:00 a.m. Pilgrimage mass at the site of the former Manor House
10:30 a.m. Guided tour of the settlement
2:00 p.m. Guided tour of the settlement
4:00 p.m. End of the festival
Upper meadow:
Transport
Visitors can only reach Kristiánov on foot via hiking trails from Janov nad Nisou, Bedřichov, Hrabětice, and Josefův Důl, or by bicycle along marked cycle paths.
You can use public transport bus line no. 1, which runs from the center of Jablonec nad Nisou towards Bedřichov. Those arriving by car can use parking lots in Bedřichov and Hrabětice.
Kristiánov Glass Settlement
The settlement was founded by Johann Leopold Riedel in 1774. The glass furnace was first fired up there on Three Kings' Day (January 6), 1776, and his descendants operated the glassworks until 1887, a period of exactly 111 years. Initially, they mainly produced hollow glass goblets and cups, mugs, apothecary bottles, vials, and chandelier pendants. In the 19th century, the main items became pressed glass rods, tubes, and sticks for the production of costume jewelry. A specialty was the so-called "tutny" – hollow tubes used as semi-finished products for the production of glass bangles.
Today, only one building from this once-significant glass settlement remains, originally used for housing glassmakers and later as a pub and recreational facility, the so-called Liščí bouda. It is now managed by the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou and offers a tour of the permanent exhibition, a small educational circuit around the extinct buildings of the settlement, and an educational trail connecting significant places related to glassmaking tradition along the route between Kristiánov and the main building of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou.
The event was supported by:
Liberec Region, Municipality of Bedřichov, Municipality of Janov nad Nisou
Museum partners:
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Liberec Region, Statutory City of Jablonec nad Nisou, Preciosa Foundation, Crystal Valley, Association of Friends of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery
Media partners: The media partner of Kristiánov is the portal PROPAMÁTKY, and media partners of the museum are Czech Radio Liberec and TV rtm+