From Jena To Mainz (And Back Again) - "The Odyssey Of 41 Glassmakers" Began 50 Years Ago

A half-century ago, World War II came to an end. Germany had been reduced to rubble. It was then that an adventerous journey began for 41 employees of the Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Gen., located in Jena, which did not end until seven years later in Mainz when a new main plant went into operation. This journey has gone down in history as "the Odyssey of 41 Glassmakers". It was the most striking turning point in Schott's corporate history and in the personal histories of the people involved. For more than four decades, two rival Schott companies existed, one in the West and one in the East. These companies have now been reunited, exactly 50 years later.