Meyr's Neffe
Meyr's Neffe was an artistically important glass factory in Adolf near Winterberg in Bohemia . It is considered one of the oldest art glass factories in Europe.
Johann Meyr (1775-1841), painting about 1835
Josef Meyr (* 1739 in Brünnl , Bohemia , † 1829 ) built the glass factory Adolf , named after Johann Adolf II Prince Schwarzenberg (1799-1888), at Winterberg in 1816 and operated there a hollow glass furnace with seven port . Previously, he had already built the glass factories Silberberg and Bonaventura at Buchers (today's Pohoří na Šumavě). After his death, his son Johann Meyr took over the factory, whose nephew Wilhelm Kralik acted as managing director. In 1830 a second oven was added and also in Eleonorenhain (two hollow glass furnaces) and Kaltenbach in Bohemia (two table stoves), the operation was started.
After the death of Johann Meyr on 17 January 1841, the business was transferred to Wilhelm Kralik and Josef Taschek, another nephew of the deceased. From this point on they traded under Meyr's Neffe and in 1854 bought the glass factory Ernstbrunn in Franzensthal (two hollow glass furnaces). On March 10, 1862, Josef Taschek died and Kralik took over all business, now for the first time under the name Meyr's Neffe.
On May 9, 1877 Kralik, now Knight of Meyrswalden, died after previous award of the Order of the Iron Crown III. Class from the hand of Emperor Franz Joseph . His heirs Johann, Karl, Heinrich (later known as Wilhelm Kralik Sohn ) and Hugo Kralik Ritter von Meyrswalden took over all the factories, however, there was a division in 1881 and the factories in Adolf, Kaltenbach and Franzensthal went, still under the name Meyr's Nephew , to Karl and Hugo Kralik Ritter von Meyrswalden.
In the 1870s already 730 workers were employed and the products (many of them commissioned by other trading companies such as J. & L. Lobmeyr ) regularly won awards at the world's exhibitions of that time. After that, however, a gradual decline began, although Karl Kralik Ritter von Meyrswalden was distinguished by progressive entrepreneurship. So he created a private school for his workers in 1880 and co-founded the 1895 opened in Winterberg German commercial and commercial training school.
He left his sons Albert and Rudolf at least 300 workers (without engravers and painters), but disagreement, the First World War and the following economic crisis accelerated the decline of the glassworks in Adolf. In 1922 they merged with Ludwig Moser and in 1934 the remains fell to Česká Unionbanka.
Modern attempts at revival have failed so far, but the existing sample glass warehouse could be saved and kept for future museum use. Several representative products of Meyr's nephew are now in the Passau Glass Museum . Also on glass auctions objects of the company are frequently represented, which speaks for a high popularity in collecting circles.
