Royal Glass Factory of La Granja, Spain: All about glass

A blob of glowing orange wobbles on the tip of a pipe. The craftsman pulls the pipe out of the crucible, spins it and splashes water over it. He perches himself up on a ladder, places his mouth near the other end of the pipe and blows. The frail mass at the opposite tip changes shape and loses colour rapidly. The wind in the pipe manipulates the metamorphosis of the blob and soon it takes the form of a glass pitcher. The crafter separates the pitcher from the pipe and cuts the excess glass away from it’s mouth. This process of glass making from the 1^st century BC is preserved till date at Royal Glass Factory of La Granja in Real Sitio de San Ildefonso(Royal city of San Ildefonso) in Segovia province of Spain.

By royal orders, the era of glass artisanship was ushered during the early 18^th century around this area in a bid to stop import of glasses and crystals from France. Initially a small setup was established in the village, but it caught fire and caused severe damage to the settlement. Hence, this building was erected outside the perimeter of the town. Parallelly, porcelain and tapestry manufacturing units were also built elsewhere to domestically meet the palatial needs of the royals.

The entrance to this technological museum is through the gift shop of the facility. Here, sitting on the shelves, sparkling glass jars, pitchers and bottles are the first things that attract the attention of the visitors. Next, the indoor trail crosses the ‘light room’. Sparkly crystal chandeliers bedeck this area. It is followed by a temporary exhibition of contemporary glass art. From here, I enter the first dome of the basilica shaped glass-manufacturing factory.

Hanging around in the main nave

The thin chimney of the circular melting furnace races towards the skylight. The furnace has eight work-stations, each with a fire clay pot, where glass is melted. The other end of the hall mirrors this set-up—another dome, skylight and a similar furnace. I hear that two furnaces were necessary to keep up with work while one undergoes maintenance.

The nave connects the two furnaces. On both sides of the nave, along the aisle, are 30 annealing kilns. Instead of directly exposing the finished glass to room temperature, the kilns cooled them down gradually. Rusty machines of 20^th century from the glass factory are exhibited here. The oldest of them are the stone wheels from the 19^th century. They were used to crush raw materials.

Large bronze draining tables with wheels are remnants of the laborious process that the artisans underwent while making exceptionally huge mirrors for the palaces. Liquid glass was poured and smothered on these tables before inserting them into the annealing chambers for gradual solidification.

I also see huge stone containers with various minerals. They are well labelled. Begonia, my guide, explains to me that most of these minerals have always been locally procured from the forests and lands around here. It is one of the reasons why this was the chosen location for the glass and crystal manufacturing unit of the crown.

Exhibits and interactive sessions at Royal Glass Factory of La Granja

Beyond the second furnace is the Maumejean Hermanos Workshop with a collection of stained glasses and mirrors. Farther in the Scraping Room of both ground and first floor are a glass container collection, hydraulic machine, dry oven for fiberglass, La Granja crystal collection dating from 18^th and 19^th century, and international contemporary glass art collection.

The Royal Glass Factory also runs glass-making degrees, courses, workshops and one-day experiences for the interested people. The ones being sold at the gift shop are products made in the workshops itself.

At the demonstration site of this rectangular Basilica-style bricks and stone building, I am not alone. All eyes are focused on the master-crafter while he exchanges greetings in Spanish with my guide. With the pitcher done, he lets the onlookers know that we can be a part of the process as well and try blowing the pipe under his direction for the next pitcher. However, there is no one in the crowd as brave as him. He moves on to the next pitcher. Done with the tour, I leave the premises of the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja for my next destination.

Have you been to any glass-making factory? Have you visited La Granja de San Ildefonso? Comment below and let’s talk!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Spain Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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