Our glass
Hergiswiler glass contains a truly unique spark deep within. You think all glass is the same? Note even close: crystal – Hergiswiler crystal in particular – is no ordinary glass. It is a material of great beauty and a refined aesthetic.
At the Glasi-Restaurant «Adler», you can enjoy this special spark in combination with hearty regional cooking.
Glowing facts and burning-hot figures
The melting tank of the glass furnace, which weighs four tonnes, is the heart and soul of the «Glasi».
Within the tank, the temperature measures 1,500 degrees Celsius. After two to three days, the molten material flows through the separator tank and into three working troughs from which the glass-blowers scoop out the viscous, honey-like material (still up to 1,400 degrees Celsius hot) at one of six holes using their tools: blowpipes, ladles and iron rods.
The furnace is designed in such a way that it can produce around 4 tonnes of glass over a period of 16 hours each day. It is heated with gas (from above) and with electrodes (from below, inside the liquid glass pool).
It takes around 10 days for the furnace to cool off and 10 more to achieve the proper temperature for melting once again. You’ve probably already guessed that the «Glasi» furnace needs to be heated and monitored around the clock: a smelter watches over it at night, prepares new batches of material, checks the temperature in the furnace and prepares the workspace for the next shift.
This unique piece was custom-designed for the «Glasi» and costed around 3 million Swiss franks to manufacture. And because the furnace’s lifespan will wear out eventually (and who could be surprised, given the temperatures it is subjected to?), it will need to be replaced after six to eight years.
A new melting tank that can handle 16 tonnes of liquid glass will be installed in February/March of 2020 after eight years. In other words, it’s almost time to welcome a new «heart and soul» to the «Glasi».
A workstation for glass-blowers
Your adventure at «Glasi»
To the «Glasi»
