It’s no wonder that Theresienthal is in the pink. or should that be hot pink. On the verge of extinction when poor management decisions resulted in a turn-of-the-millennium insolvency, dedicated unemployed glassblowers took matters into their own hands in an effort to save their company. Although production was discontinued and doors were shuttered, longtime workers continued to take care of the machinery and tools daily, holding on to some hope for rescue. Max Hannes, director of the glassworks, said giving up the company in which some of them had worked for decades was unthinkable. The dedication and passion of this small group of glassblowers so impressed automaker BMW that, in 2003, they created a foundation to subsidize the refiring of the kilns. Max von Schnurbein became part of the transition team in 2005. “BMW stepped in when they realized the excellent quality of the products and the enormous abilities of the craftsmen who were desperate to restart the factory,” relays von Schnurbein. “We realize the bankruptcy was mainly caused by wrong management decisions after Hutschenreuther stepped out in 1997,” he says, “and there was a more than realistic chance for Theresienthal to succeed.”

Von Schnurbein, a former investment banker with familial ties to the region, was so impressed with Theresienthal that two years after the BMW bailout he purchased a majority share in the enterprise. (The BMW-related foundation remains a minority shareholder.) “The chance to save and internationally develop this wonderful company with great people in the city I was born is a great motivation,” von Schnurbein says. “We’ll continue to develop our strengths which are our enormous treasure of designs from various epochs, the great skills and the tremendous dedication of our craftsmen, and the mystic place of Theresienthal, where all of our crystal is made.”

The crystal emanates from the enchanting Bavarian forest, at the Czech border in the glass-rich region whose abundant natural resources have made it an ideal place to produce glass. It was founded in 1836 by Franz Steigerwald who named the operation for Queen Therese, wife of the Bavarian King Ludwig I. The sovereign so hated depending on foreign crystal to equip his palaces that he granted Steigerwald the privilege to produce glass for the region. It didn’t take long before the manufactory’s exquisitely ornate designs became known throughout Europe, particularly among royal households. (The court of the Russian Tsar, for example, ordered the crystal, and during her exile in Britain, the last empress of France, Empress Eugenie, purchased a particularly precious clock whose face, cog wheel, and hands were all made of glass.) Within five years of its opening, 200 workers toiled in the factory.

And so it went for more than 100 years after Steigerwald sold the business to the renowned von Poschinger family. (One arm of the von Poschinger family has produced crystal since the 15th century under its own name.) Theresienthal graced the tables of castles and palaces as well as the well-to-do across the continent. Its designs were reflective of German historism, art nouveau, and art deco periods, with medieval-looking glasses, neorenaissance goblets, and richly ornamented, baroque-looking tableware that placed Theresienthal on the map and gained numerous accolades at world fairs over the years.

In 1973, the von Poschinger era ended when the director of a local renowned glassmaking school took over and granted a 50% interest to the neighboring Hutschenreuther, who itself took over the company completely ten years later. Alas, that alliance didn’t last and Hutschenreuther sold Theresienthal in 1997. A few years later the once-profitable glassworks was belly-up with a bloated infrastructure and on the verge of bankruptcy. And that’s when von Schnurbein entered the picture. “Theresienthal is a wonderful company and a landmark in my home region,” he proudly says. “I’ve been living with the magnificent products since I am a little child. Theresienthal allows me to combine the great honor of supporting my home region, the opportunity of using my international experiences, and the pleasure of dealing with the most beautiful product.”

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