Eisenbrod: Glass, History and Living Traditions

Eisenbrod combines the glassmaking tradition of northern Bohemia with historic districts, remarkable buildings and events that shape the town at different times of the year. The town lies in the Jizera Valley. When planning your trip, you can therefore combine cultural experiences, short tours of the town, museums and scheduled events.

Glass as a defining theme

At the Muzeum a galerie firmy Detesk, more than 400 exhibits document the development of artistic glassmaking in Železný Brod from around 1920 to the 1990s. LAMPGLAS, s. r. o. offers another insight: in the sales rooms, you can watch glass being made at a glassmaker’s burner. The annual Skleněné městečko festival, held on the third weekend of September, includes glassmaking demonstrations and creative workshops for visitors.

Smaller collections also highlight the local craft tradition. The Minimuzeum skleněných betlémů Železný Brod currently displays around 80 glass nativity scenes from the collection of Alena Kortanová. In the adjoining creative bead workshop, visitors can make their own jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets or earrings. This creates a direct thematic link between viewing and hands-on creation.

Historic Districts and Museums

Běliště is a wooden building dating from 1807. It houses the ethnographic exhibition of the Městské muzeum v Železném Brodě. The exhibition comprises nine rooms, each devoted to an aspect of the history of Železný Brod and its immediate surroundings. In the historic Trávníky district, you will find heritage-listed folk architecture with a preserved traditional character shaped by the Podkrkonoší region. The log houses and Neoclassical buildings were constructed at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries; the walk through the district is just under 1 km long.

Trávníky also includes the sandstone fountain dating from 1828, which is classified as a technical monument. The townscape also features the Železnobrodská radnice, a Neo-Renaissance building constructed in 1890 to a design by the architect J. Zeyer. The left wing of the building was added in 1909. The Železnobrodská zvonice has a unique wooden structure consisting of two independent supporting frameworks: one supports the building shell, while the other supports the suspended bells.

Churches, Festivals and Special Events

The Kostelík sv. Jana Nepomuckého Na Poušti was built in 1769 by Count Karel Josef Des Fours (1701–1775). Exhibitions and concerts are held there several times a year. Since 1997, the Svatojánská krojovaná pouť has taken place at the chapel every May. Another noteworthy ensemble is Kostelní vršek, which comprises the Church of Saint James the Greater from the second half of the 18th century, a single-storey rectory dating from 1723 and an ossuary from 1765.

The Železnobrodský jarmark takes place every year on the second weekend of June. Numerous stalls offer refreshments and traditional products. This provides several fixed events to consider when planning the timing of a stay: the fair in June, the pilgrimage in May and the glass festival in September. The tourist information centre provides information about Železný Brod and its surroundings, excursion tips, and details of train and bus connections.

More Destinations to Research

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Eisenbrod, you can also check Tepere, Großhammer, Radl, Wiesenthal An Der Neiße, Kleinskal, Johannesberg I. Isergebirge, Louschnitz and Woleschnitz.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Jablonec Nad Nisou.