The history of the Bohemia Crystal brand dates back to 1876, when brothers Jan and Augustin Gerhardt founded a glassworks in Poděbrady. It was the first modern glassworks in Central Bohemia. In 1920-1927, the production of lead crystal was developed, which gained the company a good reputation all over the world and is still produced in the glassworks today. The glassworks were nationalised in 1946 and extensively modernised by 1950. In 1965, all lead crystal producers in Bohemia and Moravia, including Poděbrady, were merged into the company Sklárny Bohemia Poděbrady (later Crystalex a. s.). On 1 December 1993 the glassworks were privatised and became Sklárny BOHEMIA a. s.