Err

Meet the Master Glassmakers

La Rochère - Glassware Crystal since 1475 - 5 centuries of Glass Art


Go to meet the expressions of matter : glass or crystalline thanks to the work of the Master Glassmakers. The bubbles as well as the slight inclusions form the whole personality and spirit of the manufactured pieces. The entire manufacturing process attests to artisanal manufacturing.
 

The history of Cristallerie la Rochère glassware

La Rochère founded in 1475 by Mr. Simon de Thysac, this house called La Rochère is the oldest art glassworks in France still in operation today.

Geographically, this company is located at the crossroads of Lorraine, Franche Comté and the Darney forest.

Raw materials : wood and fern

The wood from the Darney forest was used to heat the ovens, the fern whose ash rich in potash was used to facilitate the melting of the glass.

Man extracts silica from the ground made up of variegated sandstone. Finally, the limestone soils on which the forest "la Vôge" is found supplied lime.

A local economy worked by taking into account on the one hand the specificities of nature and the glass industry on the other.

Some dates : 1595 - 1636 - 1666 - 1858 four dates that count !

First date 1595 ; the village is destroyed by fire, the glassware will be rebuilt three years later.

Second date 1636 : glassware was again destroyed in 1636 during the Thirty Years War.

Third date 1666 : restart of the company. She will never be arrested since then.

Fourth date 1858 : the glassware was sold to François-Xavier Fouillot. From generation to generation until now his descendants manage this glassware.


Products and industry

Until 1967, the traditional activity was based on the production of hand-made and mouth-blown glasses and decanters. These productions were intended for cafes and restaurants.

The constant growth of mechanical glass and strong competition forces La Rochère to take new directions in its production and therefore in its industrial future.

In 1967, the management of the time decided to develop collections intended for the Tableware and decoration market. At the same time, significant investments are made in ovens and machines, thereby improving manufacturing in order to produce large and medium series of mechanical glassware. Success is there !

Conclusion

La Rochère over time has undoubtedly been able to transform the working tool, counter competition and conquer new markets. In 1475, the glassworks designed "handmade and mouth blown" products.

From 1970 the development of mechanical glassware led the company in the automatic manufacturing of bricks, tiles, glass blocks and pressed glass.

Various technical and industrial directions, it has been possible from origin to date to build three sectors of activity :

- the handcrafted glassware of Tableware and decoration "hand-made and mouth-blown" ;

- mechanical glassware for Tableware and catering ;

- mechanical glassware for the building (glass architecture).