Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou

Transcript

Welcome to the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou, the only museum with a special focus on glass and costume jewellery in the Czech Republic. The idea of a museum and a school that would train young people to work in the costume jewellery industry goes back to the 1860s and to members of the Industrial Training and Support Association in Jablonec nad Nisou. It was intended as a way of supporting the costume jewellery and glass industries. In 1900, the committee of the Trade Association changed the focus of the planned museum to local history and the development of industry in Jablonec. The founding date of the museum is the year 1904, the year that saw the opening of ethnological and industrial collections in three rooms at the Jablonec school. During World War Two, the museum was closed. In 1949 it was nationalised and its activities renewed, however this time as an institution specialising in the history of the glass and costume jewellery industries. In 1961, its activities in the area of costume jewellery were extended to the entire country. By 1977, this national coverage also included the glass industry. At that time the building in Kristiánov – which now houses an exhibition and refreshments in summer – also became part of the museum. The main building of the Glass and Costume Jewellery Museum, where you’re standing at the moment, was originally an export house for the glass and costume jewellery trades. In the years 1903-1923, the company Zimmer & Schmidt commissioned its design and construction in the Art Nouveau style from the Jablonec architect Emilian Herbig. It was allocated to the Museum in 1949. Because of its architectural value, in 1958 it was listed as a historical monument. In 2020, it was extended by a unique extension in the shape of a crystal, based on a design by the Prague architect Michal Hlaváček. Its implementation won the prestigious Construction of the Year 2020 award.