Småland - Glass Kingdom Glasriket

More than half of Sweden's glassworks are in the southeastern corner of the wooded region of Småland, and as a result the belt of forest between Nybro and Växjö has become known as the "Glass Kingdom" (Glasriket). Most of the glassworks started out as iron foundries, in the days when bog-ore (impure iron ore) was still being used. The history of the Glass Kingdom really began, however, in 1742, when the glassworks at Kosta, west of Orrefors, were established. After difficulties in the 1970s the small family firms combined to form larger concerns, and the two great rival firms of Kosta and Orrefors now belong to the same corporation. A few small glassworks, however, still remain independent, perpetuating the pattern of the old days.