Winter at the Småland Glass Factories

The flat farmland surrounding Lund turned to snow-dusted fields and then to snow-covered forests as we drove north to Småland, the area just above Skåne. The wintery wonderland made me nostalgic for Vermont, and think about Christmas. And although the three and a half hour drive in the bus was a bit tiresome, the scenery and the forests of central, southern Sweden made the trip worth it.

The international office at LU organized a trip to visit the glass factories of Småland, which Sweden is apparently famous for. The chandeliers in the Kennedy Center in D.C. were made in Orrefors, one of the factories we visited. We stopped at three factories, Kosta Boda, Målerås, and Orrefors.

At Kosta Boda, we watched as the teams of glassblowers magically created decorative colored vases, delicate long-stemmed champagne glasses, and everything in between. We were allowed to stand very close to the artists, and watch as they went about their work.












A guide gave us the history of the factory, and context to why the factories were located there. Two hundred years ago, before other sources of heat could be used, wood was how they heated the glass, and Småland, with all of the forests, was the perfect area, and located in the center of the southern part of Sweden the glass could easily be transported. The factories used to use sand from Sweden to make the glass, which gave it a greenish tint, but as that is a sign of impurity, they now import sand from Germany. What a funny commodity to import!

At the two other factories, we didn’t get a tour, but we were able to look around in their factory gift shops where they have the “imperfect” pieces for purchase. Everyone loaded up on Christmas presents and holiday gifts for family and friends.