Patiently, Manolo repeated the same movements and encouraged the little boy. Blowing on a stick to bring Christmas baubles to life when you’re three apples high isn’t easy! On several occasions, under the supervision of master glassmakers who welcome apprentices for a day at the Atelier du Verre in Bayel (Marne) on Wednesdays and Saturdays until Christmas, the colorful balls return to ovens heated to more than 1,000 degrees. Short sleeves are recommended to avoid heat stroke…
“This is the last time I put it in the oven, otherwise it risks breaking,” warns Manolo. The young neophyte inhaled and expelled all the air in his lungs. This time is good. The ball is quite big. Manolo finishes the job by shaping the tail. You will have to wait about ten hours to be able to take the ball and install it clearly on the Christmas tree.
Welcome to crystal city
“If there are people living there, they can come and take it. If not, we will send it to them,” warned Chloé Laurent of the Côte des Bar tourism office.
A few meters away, Manolo had resumed the movements he could do with his eyes closed. He was the last master glassmaker still working in Bayel. For three centuries, this town, in the southeast of the department, a few kilometers from neighboring Haut-Marne, was home to the Royal Crystal Glassworks of Champagne. In 2016, when only about thirty employees remained on site, the company closed its doors permanently, due to a cutlery crisis and exorbitant production costs. Of the past, all that remains is the Crystal Museum and Glass Workshop where Manolo produced items for sale in the shop located right next door and shared his knowledge with tourists and locals in the area.
Started several years ago, the “Christmas baubles” activity is now increasingly successful. So much so that the Department of Tourism increased the number of slots for the 2025 vintage. “We have many locals who come year after year to expand their boule collection, but increasingly there are also people from neighboring departments,” underlines Chloé Laurent.
Book your visit as soon as possible!
Through December 17, you can blow balls on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Per ball, it will cost you 20 euros. “Last year, we surpassed 500 balls and this will remain the case this year given the reservations.» A word of advice for latecomers: book your slot as soon as possible as there may not be room for everyone!
At the Glass Workshop, the ritual is always the same: we enter a large room in small groups and choose our pigment colors. Manolo’s assistant carefully placed it on the table and the magic could begin to work. At the end of the stick, molten glass comes out of the oven. A master glassmaker swirls it over the pigment and then invites an apprentice blower to project air through the stick.
“There is no age to breathe!” choose Chloe Laurent. If a 3 year old child has enough breath, he can do it himself. His parents can help him just in case! » On the other hand, we know parents who suffocate and are “saved” by their offspring.
If you don’t get the chance to go to Bayel in the next few weeks, don’t panic. L’Atelier du Verre will be present, for the first time, at the Troyes Christmas market in December to offer its creations and publicize its activities. An online store is also being built. Until then, choose red or blue, your 2025 Christmas party?
