Moser Crystal as a Witness to Moments That Changed History

Presidents, prime ministers, members of royal families, Nobel Prize laureates, and internationally renowned cultural figures raised a toast with Moser glasses. Moser crystal collections became part of state visits, ceremonial dinners, and informal gatherings that formed important chapters in modern Czech history.

The story of Václav Havel and Moser, however, did not begin at Prague Castle. Before 1948, the Havel family belonged to the social elite and had close ties to art, architecture, and fine craftsmanship. Thus, Václav Havel understood Moser’s status amongst Czech manufacturers and the distinctive character of its traditional hand-crafted crystal.

Václav Havel’s First Visit to Moser

Shortly after he was elected President, Václav Havel visited the Moser glassworks in Karlovy Vary in March 1990 and even tried his hand at glassblowing. His visit symbolically marked the start of a period when Moser crystal became an integral part of Czech representation both at home and abroad.

As early as November 1990, Prague welcomed U.S. President George H. W. Bush, who arrived in Czechoslovakia exactly one year after the Velvet Revolution, becoming the first sitting U.S. president in history to visit the country. On that occasion, Václav Havel presented him with a set of Mozart glasses bearing the presidential monogram as a personal gift.

A Toast with Queen Elizabeth II

Moser gifts also accompanied other important state visits. In 1996, Queen Elizabeth II received a footed bowl from the Splendid collection from Václav Havel. During the state banquet in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the Queen and Prince Philip raised their glasses from Moser’s Copenhagen collection.

In 1999, Václav Havel presented the then Prince of Wales, Charles, now King Charles III, with a decanter bearing the royal coat of arms, created for the occasion by Moser’s master craftsmen. Photographs from their meeting also capture both statesmen raising a toast with Moser crystal.

Amongst the significant presidential gifts was a Splendid collection piece bearing the royal coat of arms, presented to King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2000. Two years later, Václav Havel presented Emperor Akihito of Japan with the Neptune crystal bowl, created especially for the occasion.

A special place in this story is held by Moser’s collaboration connected with the visits of Pope John Paul II. At Václav Havel’s request, a crystal cross designed by artist Karel Bečvář was created and presented to the Pope as a presidential gift. Moser crystal also appears in photographs from John Paul II’s official visit in 1997, when it was part of the meetings between the President and the Pope.

Moser Glasses and World Leaders

In 1999, Moser took part in the celebrations marking the 10^th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. At the ceremonial dinner at Prague Castle were statesmen who had played an important role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the transformation of Europe – including Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Lech Wałęsa. Thus, Moser crystal accompanied a gathering of figures who had profoundly impacted the course of Europe.

The 2002 NATO Summit in Prague also became part of this history. Amongst those who raised a toast from the Copenhagen collection were U.S. President George W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, NATO Secretary General George Robertson, and other representatives of NATO member states.

The summit was also the occasion for an extraordinary commission for Moser. At the request of the Presidential Office, twenty-five master glassmakers spent three months preparing official state gifts. During the summit, the wives of presidents and prime ministers visited the Moser boutique at Na Příkopě, where Moser engravers demonstrated their craft.

At the Spanish Royal Wedding

In 2004, the wedding table of Spanish Crown Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz was set with the Copenhagen collection. Václav and Dagmar Havel attended the wedding in person and brought a hand-cut bowl bearing the royal coat of arms as a wedding gift. The bowl had been created by Moser at the President’s request.

Moser crystal was then present at a number of cultural events associated with Václav Havel. Members of the Rolling Stones raised a toast with Moser glasses at Prague Castle, becoming symbols of the newly regained freedom of the early 1990s. Moser crystal also appears in photographs from meetings with other prominent figures from the worlds of culture, science, and public life, including Nobel Prize laureates.

Therefore, the tale of Václav Havel and Moser is more than a story of state gifts and ceremonial tables. It’s also a testimony to an era when the Czech Republic was once again opening itself to the world. Moser glasses, decanters, and crystal artworks became quiet witnesses to meetings that shaped modern history. They were held by those who fostered dialogue between nations, helped shape the future of Europe, and raised a toast to freedom, democracy, and mutual understanding.