{"id":30943,"date":"2024-04-09T12:44:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T10:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitsmaland.se\/?post_type=guide&p=30943"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:23:33","slug":"design-districts","status":"publish","type":"guide","link":"https:\/\/www.visitsmaland.se\/en\/discover\/design-districts\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel through the design districts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Travel through the design districts <\/h1>\n <\/div>\n
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Frontpage<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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There are many myths about the Sm\u00e5land people, some more flattering than others. One reputation to be proud of is that of the Sm\u00e5land people as inventive entrepreneurs. Here, you stand with your feet firmly planted in the ground where good ideas seem to take root easily. The combination of creativity and knowledge has shaped a tradition of beautiful and functional design, appreciated both nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n THE KINGDOM OF CRYSTAL <\/h3>\n
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The Kingdom of Crystal is a relatively small area in Sm\u00e5land with a strong tradition of glassmaking. It is not one place on the map, but several small places in the countryside between Kalmar and V\u00e4xj\u00f6. The glassworks are not that far from each other, but you still need a car to get around. Every year, over a million Swedish and foreign tourists visit the Kingdom of Crystal to visit the glassworks, exhibitions and to shop for glass.<\/p>\n

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On the way between the glassworks, you pass through the dense forests that once provided fuel for the furnaces and made glassmaking possible here. Glass has been produced here since 1742, and since then the craftsmen in the Kingdom of Crystal have gone from beginners to world-famous masters. At the peak of production, there were as many as 45 glassworks in the region. Today, there are not so many glassworks, but here there is an interesting mix of larger factories, such as Kosta glassworks, and smaller factories, which all inspire each other. The production also offers a good mix of art glass and utility glass.<\/p>\n

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When you go on a glassworks tour, you should make sure to visit at least one of the huts where visitors can come up close and see how the glass is made. In several places, you can even try blowing into the tube to shape the red glass mass yourself. It is both difficult and sweaty, and if you weren’t impressed by those who have mastered the technique before, you will definitely be after trying it. And of course, you get to take your work home with you as proof.<\/p>\n

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\n \n Read more about the Kingdom of Crystal <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\n “Every year, over a million Swedish and foreign tourists visit the Kingdom of Crystal to visit the glassworks, exhibitions and to shop for glass.”\n <\/h3>\n
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\n Kosta Glasbruk <\/h2>\n
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Kosta Glasbruk is one of Sweden’s oldest and most well-known glassworks, founded in 1742. Here, generations of skilled glassblowers have created everything from beautiful glassware to exclus…