Křišťálový klíč I. - Falknovská huť – Vondruška Vlastimil (2025)

The historical saga by Vlastimil Vondruška takes place from the Thirty Years' War until the revolutionary year of 1848, when serfdom was abolished as the last bastion of feudalism. This extensive four-part chronicle tells the story of the glassmaking family Heřman against the backdrop of life in northern Bohemia, which experienced an unprecedented economic rise at the end of feudalism and later a similarly rapid decline. The title 'Crystal Key' symbolizes the family secret that has been passed down through generations in the Heřman family, while the hill Klíč is a dominant feature of Nový Bor.
In 1690, young Leopold Heřman arrives in northern Bohemia from Šumava with his father Ignác, who becomes the master glassmaker at the Křížová glassworks in Svor. Although old Ignác does not have much money, he possesses great wealth – he knows how to melt transparent crystal glass. And he carefully guards his secret. He gets into a sharp dispute with the owner of the glassworks and ultimately has to leave. Shortly thereafter, he makes a deal with the owner of a nearby glassworks in Falknov, to whom he reveals his secret, but on the condition that his son Leopold marries his daughter Marie and gains an ownership share in the glassworks.