Bluedot FM No. 19 on Radio Bonn/Rhein-Sieg

Bluedot FM - The fascination of glass: a journey through history, craftsmanship and high-tech

The NRW Glass College in Rheinbach teaches how glass is processed, moulded and shaped. Our reporter Jean-Pierre Heinhold spoke to workshop manager Georg Linden at the open day and learnt about the importance of the school for the region - and also for Europe. He was also able to try out for himself how glass is cut at various stations. Thanks to apprentice Charlyn Röder, he was able to experience first-hand the passion behind the ancient craft of glassmaking. 

From production to recycling - the Romans established a stronghold of glass in the region. Presenter Till Funken travelled to the Burg Linn Museum in Krefeld, where one of the most important Roman glass collections from the Cologne/Bonn region can be found. Together with archaeologist and museum director Dr Boris Burandt, he took a look at the various shapes and colours in the glass exhibition and discovered exciting and surprising things about Roman life.

Modern window production is no longer about craftsmanship. Industrial instead of handmade, functional instead of showpiece - windows are mass-produced. Our reporter Marie Döhring asked herself what characterises modern windows. She spoke to Peter Backes, a teacher at the Glasfachschule NRW, to find out why a window pane no longer shatters so easily when hit by a ball.

If you want to, you can also listen to our programme online as a podcast. You can also listen to the entire programme on our website.