Christmas baubles, born in the deep of the Vosges forests
Without Christmas baubles, there would be no Christmas tree!
But do you know where they were invented? Believe it or not, they originated in 1858 at the Goetzenbruck glassworks in the Moselle department of Lorraine, France.
To understand how Christmas baubles came to be invented in the deep forests of the Northern Vosges Mountains, we must go back several centuries, to a time when glassmakers were nomadic. They moved from valley to valley, settling where the dense forests provided them with enough wood to fuel their glass furnaces.
These artisans stayed as long as the wood lasted, then moved on to the next valley and started again. This way of life continued until the beginning of the 18th century. By then, roads had become more passable, making transport easier and safer. There was no longer any need to transport heavy furnaces and trek along rutted, bandit-infested roads in the bitter cold of Lorraine winters.
Meisenthal glassworks, founded in 1704
The story goes that a group of glassmakers, lacking wood for their furnaces, settled in a pleasant valley nestled in the heart of wooded hills. They set up their furnaces there and established themselves permanently. In 1702, Duke Leopold I of Lorraine, impressed by the quality of their work, officially authorized them to create the first permanent glassworks. The glassmakers soon lit their first furnaces and built their houses around the workshop, thus forming the heart of the village of Meisenthal, “the valley of the blue tits.”
Goetzenbruck glassworks, founded in 1721
In 1721, four of the founding families of Meisenthal decided to establish another glassworks further up the valley, in the village of Goetzenbruck. Although initially created as an annex to the Meisenthal glassworks, the Goetzenbruck glassworks eventually became a completely independent factory.
But make no mistake, the Goetzenbruck glassworks in the 18th century wasn’t yet producing luxury items. Initially, it manufactured utilitarian glassware (bottles, jars), but over time, glassblowing techniques improved. The Goetzenbruck glassmakers began blowing large, hollow glass spheres to make curved lenses and specialized in optical glass, particularly for watches, instruments, and eyeglasses. They blew enormous glass spheres, from 10 cm to nearly a meter in diameter, which they then broke into small pieces and cut to the required size. Christmas ornaments were still a long way off!
The first production of Christmas baubles didn’t begin until 1858, and that was by chance! That summer, Lorraine suffered a severe drought, and the apple trees bore no fruit! Tradition dictated that apples be used to decorate Christmas trees (along with ribbons and twelve candles symbolizing the twelve months of the year and the twelve apostles). To compensate for the lack of apples, the glassmakers of Goetzenbruck created the first Christmas baubles in silvered and shiny glass. They were an immediate success! This is how the ancestor of modern Christmas baubles was born.
But these shiny, silvery glass balls weren’t just for Christmas. They were also hung in gardens to scare away birds, or in houses to ward off evil spirits and witches. Some even placed them in birdcages so that lonely birds could see their reflection and feel like they had company! Surprisingly, the military also used these glass balls, not to chase away spirits, of course, but as targets for firing and missile tests. Decorators quickly recognized their potential: these shimmering spheres soon adorned ballrooms, and even reached Thailand, where they were used to decorate pagodas and temples.
Glassmaking continued to develop throughout the 19th century. But it wasn’t until after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, when Alsace and Lorraine were annexed by the German Empire, that Christmas baubles truly entered our homes. The Germans had been celebrating Christmas with decorated fir trees since the late Middle Ages, and this tradition spread to Eastern France.
The Goetzenbruck glassworks continued industrial glass production (particularly for lenses) until the mid-20th century, when it merged with Saint-Gobain, a major French glass company. Industrial production ceased, and the site is now primarily dedicated to history. Among the few remaining vestiges from this era is the glassmakers’ chapel (Chapelle des Verreries), built in 1721.
The Golden Age and Renaissance of the Meisenthal Glassworks
Meanwhile, the Meisenthal glassworks gained considerable renown as the birthplace of Art Nouveau glass. From 1867 to 1894, the celebrated artist Émile Gallé, a native of Nancy, worked there, experimenting with new glassmaking techniques.
The 20th century brought renewed growth: in 1920, a vast glass hall was built, employing over 650 workers who produced tens of millions of pieces, from glasses and carafes to complete tableware sets.
By the 1960s, Meisenthal had become one of Lorraine’s industrial flagships, producing approximately 250,000 pieces per year. But this golden age came to an end with the advent of mechanized glassmaking and, unfortunately, plastic.
The Meisenthal glassworks closed its doors on December 31, 1969.
Fortunately, in the 1980s, a team of passionate volunteers breathed new life into the site, transforming it into a cultural and craft center dedicated to preserving Lorraine’s glassmaking heritage. Today, the Meisenthal glassworks is a museum, a workshop, and a cultural hub, no longer a factory. It houses three main institutions:
The Glass and Crystal Museum, which traces the history of the glassworks and exhibits masterpieces by Émile Gallé as well as pieces from the prestigious crystal houses of Saint-Louis and Lalique.
The Centre International d’Art Verrier or CIAV (International Center for Glass Art), founded in 1998 in the former workshop, serves as both a museum and a workshop, a place for production, demonstration, training, and creativity. It is here that the famous Meisenthal glass Christmas baubles are still handcrafted.
The Grande Verrière (Glass Room), restored in 2005, is now a cultural space hosting exhibitions and concerts, and can accommodate up to 3,000 people.
This revival was made possible thanks to the master glassmakers of other great Lorraine glassworks, Lalique, Saint-Louis, Goetzenbruck, Montbronn, and Lemberg, who passed on their expertise to a new generation. These young artisans proudly perpetuate the tradition, creating a new and original design each year, much to the delight of collectors worldwide.
Today, Meisenthal’s handcrafted Christmas baubles are highly sought after. It is heartening to see that there is still an audience that appreciates quality and tradition. At around €24 each (2025 price), they may not be as inexpensive as mass-produced decorations, but it’s the price to pay to preserve the art, heritage, and magic of this exceptional place.
Directions: 1 Place Robert Schuman – 57960 Meisenthal – Moselle
Wikimedia Commons: Header and chandelier by Espirat is CC BY-SA 4.0 – Meisenthal international studio for glass by Calips is CC BY-SA 3.0 – Meisenthal in 1860 by Charles Henri Hancké is Domaine public – Meisenthal today by Speculos is CC BY-SA 4.0 – Glassmakers’ chapel by Didivo67 is CC BY-SA 4.0 – Goetzenbruch village by Philippe57620 is CC BY-SA 4.0
