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Jabonec nad Nisou is situated at an altitude of 495 m on the river Nisou (Neiße) in northern Bohemia. A church was first mentioned in 1356. The village was destroyed in the 15th century and it took more than 100 years that it began to grow again. The flourishing period of Jablonec started in the 19th century when the glassmaking industry became the most important economical factor. In 1866 Jablonec obtained the status of a town. Around 1900 there were 583 factories, 300 of them exporting glass to other countries. In 1936 these numbers increased to 4136 companies (520 exporting). The industry was especially famous for its glass jewellery. After World War II, when the german-speaking part of the population was expelled from the country, many glassmakers emigrated to Germany (especially to Kaufbeuren and Bischofsgrün) and to Austria (Kremsmünster, Enns) where they established new factories for the production of glass jewellery.