Museu do Vidro

About the museum

The Museu do Vidro operates in the Palácio Stephens, a building of neoclassical inspiration from the second half of the 18th century, classified as being of public interest and part of the Património Stephens, the former Real Fábrica de Vidros da Marinha Grande. It is the only museum in Portugal devoted specifically to the study of glass art, craft and industry.

The collection began to be gathered systematically at the end of the 1980s, on the initiative of the Associação Portuguesa de Arqueologia Industrial, and was consolidated after the closure of the Fábrica Escola Irmãos Stephens in the early 1990s. The main collection, transferred by the State to the municipality in 1994, includes glass pieces, furniture, machinery, books and documentation, and was supplemented with glass from other national factories.

The museum brings together Portuguese glass from the mid-17th and 18th centuries to the present day, with greater weight given to Marinha Grande, as well as utensils, machines, moulds and factory archives. It also has a contemporary art section in a modern building of metal and glass, next to the former Fábrica de Resinagem, where about a quarter of a century of glass with artistic expression produced in Portugal is shown, along with works by international artists. A glass production and decoration workshop allows visitors to see craftsmen at work live.

Highlights

• Palácio Stephens, a neoclassical building of the former Real Fábrica de Vidros
• Portuguese glass from the 17th–18th centuries to the present
• Contemporary art section with national and international artistic glass
• Craft workshop with craftsmen working live
• The only Portuguese museum dedicated to glass

Permanent exhibitions

• Exposição permanente de vidro industrial e artístico – In the Palácio Stephens, the development of the Portuguese glass industry and its collections of glass, tools and documentation.
• Núcleo de Arte Contemporânea – Contemporary glass works of artistic expression made in Portugal and a selection of international artists.

Operated by

Município da Marinha Grande

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum provides a tourist leaflet in Portuguese Sign Language and its own mobile app.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palácio Stephens, on Praça Guilherme Stephens, in the centre of Marinha Grande.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit