BAYEL, town of Crystal
Bayel, a Champagne village in the east of the Aube district, at the intersection with Lorraine and Burgundy, has been a centre of the glass industry since 1300. In 1678, Jean-Baptiste Mazzolay, a Venetian master glass-maker, founded the Cristalleries crystal works under the auspices of the Clairvaux monks, owners of the site at the time.
King Louis XIV awarded the "Manufacture Royale en Cristaux de Bayel" his patronage in the form of the exclusive right to produce and sell crystal from Chaumont to Paris. Today, the Manufacture, now the "Cristalleries Royales de Champagne", welcomes thousands of visitors every year, all eager to discover the art of Bayel's master glass-makers.
For more information, contact:
Bayel Tourist Office
2 rue Belle Verrière
10310 BAYEL
Tel.: +33 3 25 92 42 68
Fax: +33 3 25 92 34 34
e-mail: ot.bayel@wanadoo.fr
Cristalleries Royales de Champagne :
Crystal work using traditional methods since 1666 (manual glass-blowing, cutting, engraving, polishing, gilding etc.).
Tours Monday to Friday from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Saturdays by request.
Musée du Cristal - Mazzolay Centre :
Unaccompanied visits and guided tours. Film explaining the history and manufacture of crystal from antiquity to the present. Exhibition of pieces by winners of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France ("best craftsmen in France") award. Shop. Bookshop
