When you think of La Rochère, you think of the glassmakers' work and the shop, but did you know that a Japanese garden borders the buildings? Before or after visiting the workshop, take the time to have a look around. It's a quiet, beautifully landscaped green space, with benches to gaze at the pools and Xavier le Normand's glass sculpture, which seems to be flying above the water.
In the southern Vosges, La Rochère, the oldest artisanal glassworks still in activity in France, has been making glass since 1475. Labelled "Entreprise Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company), it is one of the finest glassworks in the Vosges !
La Rochère glassworks is a whole world waiting to be discovered, combining tradition and modernity, tableware and architecture. Admire the glassmakers at work around the molten glass ovens, stroll through the Japanese garden behind the industrial buildings, and visit the Hallier shop for some great bargains !
In Passavant, the La Rochère glassworks have been practising their art since the 15th century. It is one of the oldest companies in France! Over the years, La Rochère has reinvented and modernised itself with an industrial branch, but without ever renouncing its traditional craftsmanship. In season, visitors are free to go and watch the glassblowers at work, making original pieces. The glassblowers will be happy to explain their fascinating craft to the curious visitors!
The glassmakers' workshop is open to visitors for free, so you can understand the roles of each of the people who take it in turns to make the pieces that have been sold at La Rochère for decades, without ever going out of fashion.
La Rochère
Opening times: open every day / Sundays and public holidays: afternoons only
- 26 March to 30 September: 10am-12pm and 2.30pm-6pm
- 1 October to 6 November: 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
- 26 November to 31 December: 2pm to 5.30pm Closed on 25 December
- Verrerie Cristallerie de la Rochère
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4 Rue de la Verrerie
70210 PASSAVANT-LA-ROCHERE - 03 84 78 61 00
- contact@larochere.net
- visiterlarochere.com/
La Rochère's garden
La Rochère at home
Take advantage of the Hallier shop, a magnificent building with exposed wooden framework, to pick up some bargains! Here you'll find decoration and tableware at factory prices.