Friday 1st July Glass Factory

 This was a day for close to home activities. Home being our remaining short time in Horb. It was raining intermittantly after a stormy night with wind, thunder & lightning. Maria took us to the Glass Factory Museum which has an  excellant audiovisual display of the history of glass making from earliest times to the operarion in Switzerland. It had a chequered career in Switzerland. At first the immigrants who brought the skill from Germany were welcomed in the small forest communities because they brought work opportunites and increased prosperity.  Although the pay was poor it provided a cash economy. However the furnaces were wood fired and in time the villagers recognised that their forest was almost gone. The owners were forced to find new forest.  Automation then introduced  more change and the factory was relocated to Fluhli until the wood supply became an issue again.The ultimate solution was achieved by again moving to Hergiswil where a lakeside location allowed easy delivery of wood. 

Walking around the musium it was well displayed how the early products were luxury elegantly designed products. With the increase of competative mechanisation elsewhere the products became more utilitarian. The second World War saw production focussed on preserving jars to efficiently manage short food supplies.  In 1975  the factory lost the viabilty struggle and closed. It reopened under new owners and had a more streamlined process. In 1988 the owner died and his son took over converting production to a craft/training operatiion and Museum. We saw the operation by workers young and old with the trainees undertaking the simple preparation tasks, graduating to uncomplicated vases and the seniors doing the more skillful glass blowing tasks. Bob immediately noticed that the footwear ranged from sturdy shoes to socks with flipflops . As he said anything short of thongs. 

We then adjourned to the SHOP. Ooh that was hard. The range of products from elegant to functional was impressive and  I envied Maria's freedom to purchase items she had been  hankering after since her last visit.

Ater lunch we drove back to Bulach and after purchasing the necessary spices I made Thai Pork Curry for dinner. Bob was delighted to discover that Maria had rice noodles in her cupboard so the meal was quite authentic.