Sklářské muzeum Nový Bor

About the museum

The Nový Bor glass museum was founded on the initiative of the glassworkers' trade union and opened in May 1893 in rooms of the local town hall. The core of the collection consisted of gifts from glassworkers and merchants who knew the craft and its technical demands well. The collection grew thanks to export firms and, in the 1930s, also thanks to glass competitions organised by the museum. The competitions were revived in 1994, and the best entries are still added to the collection today.

Since 1952 the museum has been housed in House No. 105 on Náměstí Míru. The multi-storey house with a tall mansard roof and a late Baroque portal was built in 1804 by the glass merchant Johann Christoph Socher; later it belonged to the Rautenstrauch family, important glass exporters. The building underwent extensive reconstruction in 1998–1999, and in 2011 a new building was added that connected it with the museum archive and provided storage rooms and a hall for short-term exhibitions.

The collection documents glass production in the Lužické hory (Lusatian Mountains) at the turn of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, the work of the studios of the local glass school, and the output of individual artists. The permanent exhibition opened in a revised form in September 2013 and presents glass from the Baroque to the present. One entire floor is devoted to painted glass, and works by contemporary Czech glass artists are displayed in the basement rooms.

Highlights

• Glass from the Baroque to the present, including pieces that were previously kept in storage
• One entire floor devoted to painted glass
• Works by contemporary Czech glass artists in the basement rooms
• Empire-style house from 1804 with a late Baroque portal
• Shop with replicas of historical glass and glass jewellery

Permanent exhibition

• Stálá expozice skla – The exhibition in the Empire-style house shows glass from the Baroque to the present. One entire floor is devoted to painted glass; works by contemporary Czech glass artists are displayed in the basement rooms.

Founded

1893

Operated by

Město Nový Bor (organizační složka města)

Admission & discounts

Free admission is also granted to members of the Association of Museums and Galleries of the Czech Republic and to schools from Nový Bor (the glass school, nursery and primary school).

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

For children's groups the museum offers tours with worksheets, led by a guide. The family ticket covers two adults and two children.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum shop sells replicas of historical glass, artist-made jewellery and glass jewellery, glass nail files, small souvenirs, specialist glassmaking literature and tourist stamps. Larger numbers of bicycles can be locked up in the museum courtyard.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit