Glass engraver with Silesian roots calls it a day after 65 years

Heinz Knauer is reluctantly calling it a day after 65 years’ engraving glass. What makes him sad is that no-one has been found to carry on the business, one where no mistakes are allowed.
 
The 83-year-old grew up in Silesia, then part of Germany, now in Poland. He can still recall seeing the Red Army march in. “As a child, you do not know what war is, so we did not regard it as a dangerous situation,” he said. Although it is now a long time ago, the memories of this time remain very strong. He recalled how his family was forced to flee, settling eventually in north Germany, and later seeing his father return after being interned as a prisoner of war in Russia. He, too, had been an engraver and it was he who passed his skills on to his son, who subsequently went on to embark on an apprenticeship in Zwiesel, a town in Bavaria well known for its glass industry. In a competition on entry, Knauer won first prize, meaning there were no fees to pay for the first year.

In all his 65 years in this trade, Knauer has never had to worry about finding work. It was as a result of examples of his being on display at a fair in Frankfurt that they came to the attention representatives of the Buchecker factory of Lucerne, resulting in the then 20-year-old moving to the city to work for ten years during the Fifties.
 
After this, he set up his own business, initially in Kriens, the glassware he engraved becoming very popular as gifts. Not that he spent all the time in his workshop, in his youth he was also a talented athlete. While other engravers concentrated on popular themes such as deer or flowers, Knauer would tackle any design, the work carried with meticulous attention to detail and, what is more, delivered on time; he was known for his reliability.
 
After Kriens, he moved his workshop to Meggen, also in the canton of Lucerne, before being one of the first to move into rather soulless industrial buildings on Baarermatte in 1997. As mentioned, he has never been out of work, and always earned enough to live on, though the type of commissions he has received over the years has varied very much.
 
As mentioned, despite trying, Knauer and his partner of 20 years (she did not want her name mentioned as she wanted this article to be about him and his work), no-one has been found to take over the business; how much he would have enjoyed passing on his skills. It is thought he may be the last glass engraver in Switzerland. He can still actually do the work, but he is not so good on his legs anymore and he does not want to fall over carrying glass.
 
Now the remaining examples of his work and all his tools are for sale. Anyone who is interested is welcome to call by at his workshop at number 10 Baarermattstrasse between 2 pm and 6 pm on Thursday and Friday, or between 11 am and 5 pm on Saturday. The price for any of his works is negotiable. Alternatively, anyone is welcome to arrange their own appointment by calling 041 760 8200.