Crystal Valley Week - glass from the whole Liberec Region in one place
Dozens of exhibitions and exceptional installations throughout the city, guided tours and fashion shows, along with the opportunity to meet famous artists in person and experience their work for yourself - all this and more will be on offer at the fourth annual summer festival in the last week of August, from 26 to 30 August.
Crystal Valley Week 2025 will bring glassmakers, jewellers and jewellery masters from all over the Crystal Valley to Liberec. Last year, more than 30,000 people visited the showcase of their art, and this year's festival under the auspices of UNESCO will be even more enticing.
EXHIBITIONS WHERE YOU DON'T EXPECT THEM
The Crystal Valley Week show will light up the city at nearly three dozen venues. In the botanical garden, in the historic town hall, in Liberec's theatres and in the underground city shelter, art will surprise visitors everywhere. Young talents from art schools from all over the region will be presented in the Liberec Castle. The three generations of the famous glassmaking family of the Olives from Železný Brod will enjoy the beautiful space of the reconstructed Liebieg Palace. Among the exotic plants in the botanical garden, a dozen glassmakers will show their fragile fauna and flora. They all share the common technique of working with a glass blower. The Technical Museum will invite you to an exhibition of historical metal moulds for melting glass, which Jan Pesničák works with. Glass in its many forms will beautify the city and the streets, one of this year's festival novelties will be large glass ShowBOXes.
INSPIRATION BY GLASS
The subtitle of this year's festival is Glass Fashion. Visitors will find fashion inspiration, for example, at the popular Crystal Market in the Regional Scientific Library in Liberec, but also at two fashion shows in the industrial space of the Liberec tram depot. The interest is huge every year. The models bring out jewellery, costume jewellery and glass on a long catwalk directly between the trams, and the show is complemented by an engaging audiovisual presentation of individual artists from the Crystal Valley. The trams will also join the festival on the tracks in the city. The traditional decorated festival tram will carry visitors for free throughout the event. This year, performed by Preciosa Ornely in collaboration with Martin Pouzar, it will recall the tradition of Czech glass beads.
BECOME A GLASSMAKER FOR A MOMENT
Blowing a glassblower's whistle, grinding glass, or bending down to the fire of the stove, it will all be possible. On the square in front of the Liberec Town Hall, as part of the festival's permanent programme, there will be a mobile glassworks Kunc Glass and the company AZ-Design, which specialises in glass cutting and painting, will present itself. The Liberec ZUŠ will allow you to try out the sandblasting technique. Glass will also entertain visitors. The more adventurous ones can try walking on the roofs, while others can listen to concerts on glass musical instruments or dance with professional dancers in glass-decorated clothes. There is also a programme for the youngest visitors, with creative workshops throughout the festival. We've presented a few snippets of the Crystal Valley Week 2025 programme. As always, most of the festival's glittering experiences will be free.
