Events
WE ARE OPEN!!
Our company shop and the creative workshop are opened again. Opening hours: 9 – 17h.
Tour times:
Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
News
UNESCO
Handmade production of Christmas tree decorations from blown glass beads was inscribed in 2020 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
WE ARE OPEN!!
Our company shop and the creative workshop are opened again. Opening hours: 9 - 17h. Tour times: Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Rautis – Glass Bead Ornaments From Poniklá
About Us
OUR MANUFACTURING FACILITY
At the Rautis family company you can learn about the unique craft of glass bead blowing and hand-manufacture of Christmas bead ornaments, whose roots in Poniklá date back to 1902. We are the last company in the world still preserving this traditional technology and keeping the manufacturing process current today.
BOOK ABOUT GLASS BEAD ORNAMENTS FROM PONIKLÁ
The book Glass bead ornaments from Poniklá provides a detailed look at the history and contemporary character of glass bead hand-manufacturing. It included authentic accounts from several decorators, a glass bead glossary and a chapter on the use of glass beads to adorn folk costumes. Almost half of the book is comprised of detailed instructions on how to make glass bead ornaments. The book is available in our company store in Poniklá or in our e-shop.
Goods and Services
For Schools
HOBBY SETS FOR SCHOOLS
We have creative hobby sets specifically designed for schools that include enough beads to make 50 ornaments. They can be used in the classroom to introduce children to our craft and help them make their own ornaments. The sets include all of the material you need, a teaching guide, detailed instructions and a sample of a finished ornament. The sets also include a short video about how the giant Krakonoš gave the glass bead hand-manufacturing craft to people. The video also shows all of the manufacturing steps that take place before the ornaments are twisted together into their final form.
TOURS OF THE PRODUCTION FACILITY FOR SCHOOL GROUPS
We would love to welcome you and your class at our facility in Poniklá. During a tour you can see all of the steps in the manufacturing process and make your own ornaments under the guidance of an instructor in our creative workshop. You can find more detailed information including admission prices and how to make reservations in the Visit Us/Tours section.
For Companies
ORNAMENTS AND SETS
If you like to support Czech handmade products and would like to offer our ornaments and/or hobby sets in your store, please see our comprehensive catalogue with all of our collections. You can choose from over 600 products that are on stock year-round in our warehouse.
We would be happy to answer any questions at:
E-mail: obchod@rautis.cz
Tel.: +420 731 199 251
SALES SUPPORT
We value each and every one of our customers and try to provide the best support we can. We would be happy to share various presentation materials such as informational brochures about our craft and tours, DVDs with a short film about how the giant Krakonoš taught the glass bead hand-manufacturing craft to poor mountain people, photos and written materials about the history of glass bead ornaments.
WORKSHOPS FOR COMPANIES
We can add a sparkle to your company Christmas party with a glass bead ornament workshop. We come to your facility and bring all the material we will need along.
CUSTOMIZED COMPANY GIFTS
Glass bead ornaments make great gifts for employees or important clients. We would be happy to design an ornament based precisely on your specifications, e.g. incorporating your company logo or a collection of ornaments in your company colourS.
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TOURS OF THE GLASS BEAD ORNAMENT MANUFACTURING FACILITY
The village of Poniklá is the only place in the world where the traditional craft of glass bead hand-manufacturing has been preserved. The first glass bead blowing workshops were established in Poniklá in the late 19th century. Often, glass bead blowing was the livelihood of entire families. The process of blowing and decorating ornaments has changed very little since then. At Rautis, you can see the entire manufacturing process: how beads are blown through glass tubes, then silver coated, coloured and cut, and finally assembled into ornaments. The entire manufacturing process is done by hand. During the tour you will learn how each bead is worked on by at least six pair of hands before it becomes part of an ornament.
TOUR TIMES
We give tours every day.
Tours begin in the company shop at Poniklá No. 153.
Tour times:
Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Public holidays and during school summer holidays: Daily: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 4 p.m.
We are closed on December 24 and 25, January 1 and Easter Monday.
Admission prices:
adults CZK 130
children CZK 80
family (2+3) CZK 340
INFORMATION ABOUT TOURS
Tours last about 40 minutes. After the tour, you can visit our creative workshop and make your own glass bead ornament.
Tours take place in Czech. Written interpretative texts are available in English, German and Polish.
We recommend reservations to avoid waiting. Our busiest seasons are during the summer school holidays and before Christmas.
SCHOOL GROUPS AND GROUPS OF 15+
Tours for larger groups must be reserved in advance. We divide groups of 20+ into two smaller groups, where one group goes on the tour while the other typically uses the creative workshop and makes a star ornament and then the groups switch
Admission Prices
School classes: CZK 80 per child, 1 teacher free per 20 children
Groups of 15+: CZK 100 per person
Assembly of simple star ornaments in the creative workshop: CZK 100 per star.
To arrange a group tour, please contact us at:
Tel.: +420 483 300 036, +420 733 737 430
E-mail: info@rautis.cz
Creative Workshop
MAKE YOUR OWN ORNAMENT
Let us teach you the basics of glass bead ornament assembly in our creative workshop. Under the guidance of our instructors, you can try your hand at making simple ornaments or make one of your own design. You pay only for the material you use and you can stay as long as you like in the creative workshop. We recommend combining a visit to the creative workshop with a tour of the manufacturing facility, where you can learn about all the steps in the hollow glass bead production process.
Hours of Operation:
Daily: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CAPACITY
The creative workshop can accommodate 30 people at a time. Reservations are generally not required but if you plan on spending a long time in the workshop, we recommend calling us in advance to make arrangements at: +420 733 737 430.
Company Store
WIDE SELECTION
You can find the biggest selection of glass bead Christmas ornaments in our brick and mortar store in Poniklá, where there are over 600 types available.
We also sell creative hobby sets that contain material to make one ornament and detailed instructions which allow you to try out our craft in the comfort of your own home.
If you are a more advanced ornament maker, you can choose the glass beads and other materials you need to make glass bead ornaments of your own design.
Company store hours of operation:
Daily: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
ORNAMENT GIFT SETS
We have several different types of gift boxes custom-made to hold our ornaments. If you would like to give a gift of ornaments, just choose the box that best suits your needs.
We also have special glass bead ornament gift wrap.
Another specialty item for ornament lovers is our deluxe advent calendar, which you can fill with ornaments of your own choosing. You can also use it to store ornaments over the rest of the year or as an unusual decoration in children’s bedrooms.
“Nad věcí” Coffee Shop
COME IN FOR A CUP OF COFFEE
The “Nad věcí” coffee shop on the village commons in Poniklá offers excellent coffee, sweet and savoury snacks, ice lollies and drinks as well as fine products from local manufacturers.
We can prepare snacks or cold lunches for groups. To arrange, please contact us at: Tel: +420 731 409 787.
Hours of operation of the „Nad věcí“ coffee shop:
Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Coffee available from 9:00 a.m.
Since the 19th century
THE BEGINNING OF GLASS BEAD BLOWING
At the end of the 19th century, a unique glass-making technology – the craft of blowing hollow beads through glass tubes – made its way to Poniklá from Jablonec nad Nisou. Over time this craft became more widespread in Poniklá and further processing was added to glass bead blowing: silver coating, cutting and threading. At its height from the beginning of the 20th century to World War I, there were some 400 glass bead manufacturers in Poniklá and the surrounding area. Companies in Jablonec exported the beads to countries around the world. The beads were used primarily for bijouterie and decoration of garments.
S. HORNA COMPANY
In 1902, Stanislav Horna founded the first glass bead blowing company in Poniklá that operated on the principle of internal subcontracting: the company owner supplied raw materials to employees, who worked in their own workshops at home, and he then bought semi-finished products from them and processed them further. Horna employed home-based glass blowers in this fashion, supplying them with glass tubes and purchasing their blown beads, which he transported to his central workshop for silver coating. The silver coated beads were then delivered to home-based cutters and threaders, which sold him threaded sets of beads. The sets were then packaged in the central workshop and prepared for export orders.
THE FIRST GLASS BEAD ORNAMENTS
Following a crisis in bead sales, a new product was introduced in 1912: glass bead Christmas ornaments. Thanks to the new fashion of Christmas tree decorating that was spreading in Central Europe at the time, the bead ornaments quickly became popular both locally and across Europe.
POST-1948 DEVELOPMENT
Production was interrupted by World War II and the post-war nationalization of Horna’s company and other glass bead manufacturers. In the post-1948 period, production in Poniklá was incorporated into the operations of the company Glass bijouterie and Železnobrod Glass, where it remained on the periphery of the company’s production.
Following the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the workshop in Poniklá in the original Horna company buildings was privatized and glass bead ornaments once again became available on world markets.
Contemporary Glass Bead Ornaments
CONTEMPORARY GLASS BEAD ORNAMENTS
Today, this traditional craft continues to develop. You can learn about the entire manufacturing process on a tour of our Poniklá facility. You can also visit our creative workshop and try your hand at making your own glass bead ornament.
Our company store holds the largest assortment of glass bead ornaments, with over 600 different types, along with creative hobby sets and glass bead ornament-making materials.
You can also see our products at many Christmas markets, workshops and museum exhibitions.
GLASS BEAD HAND-MANUFACTURING AS CULTURAL HERITAGE
The uniqueness of glass bead manufacturing has been recognized through its nomination to prestigious UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
2015 – The tradition of glass bead Christmas ornament hand-manufacturing was registered on the List of Intangible Elements of Traditional Folk Culture of the Liberec Region
2015 – The tradition of glass bead Christmas ornament hand-manufacturing was registered on the List of Intangible Elements of Traditional Folk Culture of the Czech Republic
2017 – The Czech Republic nominated the craft of blown glass bead Christmas tree ornament hand-manufacturing to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
KRKONOŠE MOUNTAINS ORIGINAL PRODUCT CERTIFICATE
All of our products carry the special Krkonoše Mountains Original Product logo, which means that they have been subjected to a strict certification process that guarantees their local origin, unique quality, high percentage of handwork and environmental-friendliness.
News
UNESCO
Handmade production of Christmas tree decorations from blown glass beads was inscribed in 2020 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
WE ARE OPEN!!
Our company shop and the creative workshop are opened again. Opening hours: 9 - 17h. Tour times: Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Events
WE ARE OPEN!!
Our company shop and the creative workshop are opened again. Opening hours: 9 - 17h. Tour times: Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Contacts
Rautis, a.s.
Poniklá 151
512 42 Poniklá
Tel.: +420 483 300 036
E-mail:info@rautis.cz
Tours, Creative Workshops, Company store
Exkurze – Poniklá 153
Tel.: +420 733 737 430
Top management
Marek Kulhavý
Tel.: +420 736 109 917
E-mail:info@rautis.cz
Sales Department
Mgr. Barbora Kulhavá
Tel.: +420 731 182 556
E-mail:bara@rautis.cz
GDPR Business Terms
Rautis, a.s. was registered in the Regional Court, led by the Regional Court in Hradec Králové, Section B, File 2771, on 27 December 1995.
The implementation of the website was supported by the budget of the Liberec Region.