PhDr. Eva Černá and prof. PhDr. Rudolf Krajíc, CSc., will speak mainly about their collaboration with master glassmaker Petr Novotný, his extraordinary skill, and his significant contribution to the creation of historical glass replicas for museum exhibitions.

You will also learn about the beginnings of the Novotný Glass, which develops this tradition and continues it to this day. The Glass Encounter will offer a unique behind-the-scenes look at the connection between archaeology, history, and the live glassmaking craft.
 

Eva Černá is an archaeologist specializing in the history of glass and glassmaking. Her early research focused on prehistoric beads, later expanding to High Medieval artefacts and the study of historic glassmaking centres. Thanks to her work, more than thirty extinct medieval glassworks have been discovered and researched. Her field research contributed not only to a series of experimental glass melts, but also to a deeper understanding of historical production technologies and the cultural context of the Czech lands during the High Middle Ages. Eva Černá was a founding member of the Glass Specialist Group of the Czech Archaeological Society and served as its long-term chair. She has participated in numerous research projects focused on the documentation and interpretation of glass finds and worked at Palacký University Olomouc between 2009 and 2023. She actively collaborates with international academic institutions and has dedicated much of her career to promoting archaeology and the history of glassmaking. Eva Černá currently works at the Institute of Archaeological Heritage of Northwest Bohemia in Most.

Rudolf Krajíc is a leading Czech archaeologist and historian specializing in the High Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. He is an expert in everyday life in the medieval era, with key research interests including medieval glass, ceramics, metallurgy, and unique collections of Gothic and Renaissance stove tiles. He has long been affiliated with University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, where he shares his expertise with a new generation of archaeologists, and has also taught at Masaryk University. Rudolf Krajíc is among the researchers who successfully combined meticulous fieldwork with deep theoretical analysis of material sources, making a significant contribution to the understanding of everyday life in medieval society.