Count Christian Danneskiold-Samsoee sent an
application to the Danish king in 1823, pleading with the king to
allow a glass work in the Holmegaard bog. However, the count died
before the king had the opportunity to send his reply.
Henriette Danneskiold-Samsoe (HDS), his widow,
decided to fulfil the life plans of her late husband, and got the
king's approval. Thus, it was the mother of seven, who founded the
first industrial glass work in Denmark.
The ovens were lit for the first time on November 5th 1825.
Production exclusively consisted of green bottles. The production
of clear glass was HDS highly prioritized goal. Employees were
found in Bohemia, and finally the production of wine glasses and
carafes took off. Due to Bernhard Friehling, Holmegaard grew to be
the leading Danish glassworks.
Henriette Danneskiold-Samsoee died in 1843, and the glass works
was inherited by her son C.C.S.
Danneskiold-Samsoee. He established Kastrup
Glassworks in the Copenhagen area. The works being near
the water, enabling coal to arrive by direct berth close to the
Copenhagen trade. The production there included glass bottles
only.
By 1906 the first design-series of wine glasses at
Holmegaard,was created by the designer Svend
Hammershoei. It was named "The Margrethe series" and it
was produced for forty years.
In 1923a contract was signed between The Royal Porcelain
Factory and Holmegaard Glassworks, commissioning Holmegaard to
produce glasses designed by The Royal Porcelain Factory.
"Knipling"- the first commissioned glass was
designed by Oluf Jensen.
Per Lütken was hired on May 1st 1942. Lütken is
considered to be synonymous with Danish glass.
The glassworks have been setting trends of service- and
art-glass articles in Danish society and culture through the years.
Special things to mention could be e.g. the glug bottle, the
Harmony vases, the Provence bowl, Ideelle glasse setc. The tea
light holders in blown glass were practically invented by
Holmegaard, and to find a Danish home without any of their tealight
holders is almost impossible.
Holmegaard Glassworks celebrated their 175 year jubilee on
November5th 2000.
Holmegaards brand name and products was sold to
Rosendahl in 2008. At that time is was the intention that
the products should still be produced on the Holmegaard Glassworks,
but unfortunately it went bankrupt right after. Today all the
Holmegaard products are manufactured on other factories - with
supervising of Rosendahl.
Holmegaard Glassworks
On November 5th 2000 it was 175 years ago, that the
ovens of Holmegaard Glassworks were lit for the first time.
In 1923 Count Christian Danneskiold-Samsoee sent an application
to the Danish king pleading with the king to allow a glassworks in
the Holmegaard bog. However, the count died before the king had the
opportunity to send his reply. Henriette
Danneskiold-Samsoee (HDS), his widow, decided to fulfil
the life plans of her late husband, and she got the king's
approval. Thus, it was the mother of seven, that founded the first
industrial glassworks in Denmark. The work was placed in the bog as
this was where the natural peat-deposits were found. Polish women
were brought in as peat workers, to dig and roll the peat.
After having lost Norway, Denmark was in great need of glass.
Earlier all glass-production had taken place in Sweden and Norway,
as the riches of forest in these countries had supplied fuel for
the big glass-ovens. The Norwegian glassmaker Christian
Wendt was employed, and the local schoolmaster was engaged
as foreman.
Chr. Wendt and his son built the first glass hut -around the
glass-oven, in the bog of Holmegaard. Starting out the production
exclusively included of green bottles. After the attempt to produce
window glass failed, hut 2 was rebuilt to produce "white glass".
The production of clear glass was HDS highly prioritized goal. This
being the expertise of Bohemian glassmakers, employees were found
in Bohemia, and finally the production of wine glasses and carafees
a.o. took off.
In 1835 Bernhard Friehling was engaged as the new
manager of the glassworks, and thanks to him Holmegaard
became the leading Danish glassworks. A glassworks like Holmegaard,
was in those days a unique community. Adults as well as children
participated in the hut tasks. Buildings were built to house the
foreign glassworkers, and the first employees even had some of
their wages as provisions, for instance rye or barley from one of
the farms in Fensmark. Furthermore each family had the right to a
cow, which could graze on the farm. Later a school, a church, an
inn and a grocer's shop were built. The community even had a music
society and a ball club. The South German glassworkers, being
catholic, had their own chapel, giving mass once a month. The
children worked as "Hut-boys" or "-girls. However, most often the
girls were sent to work on the surrounding farms when they were
very young. The children ran forth and back, helping out. For
example carrying the glass away for cooling. The children took
turns attending school in the morning and in the afternoon, to make
sure that children would always be available to help in the
production. This stopped in 1910, when the school was moved to
Fensmark. The heat in these "huts" was extreme, and the
glass-workers hardly wore any clothes at all. The huts were filled
with smoke as well as dust, and everything was incredibly
dirty.
Henriette Danneskiold-Samsoee passed away in 1843, and the
glassworks was inherited by her son C.C.S.
Danneskiold-Samsoee. After recommendations from Bernhard
Friehling, he established Kastrup Glassworks in
the Copenhagen area. The aim was to get closer to the water, in
order for ships with coal to get immediate access and to come
closer to the Copenhagen trade. Production included only glass
bottles. By 1857 the Kastrup Works expanded, and the last
bottle-makers were moved from Holmegaard to Kastrup. The Holmegaard
works now solely produced fine glasses (drinking glasses, carafes,
bowls etc.) By 1906 the first design series of wine glasses at
Holmegaard, was made by the designer Svend
Hammershoei. It was named "The Margrethe series" and it
was produced for forty years.
During World War I all Danish glassworks were in great
difficulties, as was Holmegaard, barely managing on reduced
operations. In 1918 experiments were made in the attempt to produce
heavy crystal, and for a short period the glassworks was permitted
to copy the Belgian crystal glasses, which were sold in their shop
in Nyhavn 12.
A contract was signed in 1923 between The Royal Porcelain
Factory and The Holmegaard Glassworks, commissioning Holmegaard to
produce glasses following designs supplied by The Royal Porcelain
Factory. The first commissioned glass, designed by Oluf
Jensen, was given the name "Knipling".
Soon after Orla Juuhl Nielsen was hired as the first
permanently employed artist at The Royal
Porcelain Factory. By 1927 he was succeeded by the architect
Jacob E. Bang. Hereby the line of artist designed
glasses began in Denmark.
During World Ward II all the ovens at Holmegaard were adjusted
to function by generators operating on peat-gas. Succeeding Jacob
Bang, Per Lütken was engaged on May 1st 1942. Per
Lütken is considered to be synonymous with Danish Glass. No other
artist has had such a tremendous significance to Danish glass
during the 20th century.
The Holmegaard and The Kastrup Glassworks merged in July 1965,
hereafter it was called Kastrup & Holmegaard Glassworks A/S.
The major shareholders are The Carlsberg Breweries, The United
Breweries (Tuborg) and Mrs. Elisabeth Lassen, born
Danneskiold-Samsoe (inherited Holmegaard Glassworks in 1945 from
her father Count Aage Danneskiold-Samsoe).
In December 1970 a new shop was opened in Oestergade 15,
Copenhagen. Holmegaard now had two shops down-town Copenhagen. The
shop in Nyhavn was closed by September 1973.
Holmegaard´s 150 years anniversary was celebrated on November
5th 1975.
The Kastrup Glassworks was closed in 1977, and the name changed
to "Holmegaard Glassworks A/S". By October 1st 1990 the
company is split in two: "Holmegaard Glassworks A/S" and
"Holmegaard Emballage A/S" 25% of the shares in "Holmegaard
Emballage" was sold to the Swedish packing-company PLM in 1997. At
the general assembly on December 10th 1997, Royal Copenhagen
presented their new Holding Company Royal Scandinavia A/S,
simultaneously announcing the buy up of the controlling share in
the Swedish Orrefors Kosta Boda AB as well as the Venetian Artglass
Company Venini, and the take over of the share capital in
BodaNova-Höganäs Ceramics AB.
PLM AB took over the remaining shares in Holmegaard Emballage in
April 1999, and the name changed to PLM Holmegaard.
November 5th 2000 Holmegaard was ready to celebrate its 175
years anniversary. Development and experiments have always been
supported with open minds at Holmegaard - an experience you can
learn for yourself in the development work shop at Holmegaard
Glassworks, where new ideas and techniques are tested. The
glassworks has been setting trends for service- and art-glass
articles in Danish society and culture through the years.
Special things to be mentioned could be e.g. the glug
bottle, the Harmony vases, the Provence bowl, Ideelle glasses
etc. The tea light holders in blown glass is almost
invented by Holmegaard,and finding a Danish home without any of
their tealight holders is not very common.
Holmegaard´s imaginative and competent artists and glassmakers
have the ability to renew and improve Danish glass.
Holmegaards brand name and products was sold to
Rosendahl in 2008. At that time is was the intention that
the products should still be produced on the Holmegaard Glassworks,
but unfortunately it went bankrupt right after. Today all the
Holmegaard products are manufactured on other factories - with
supervising of Rosendahl.