Museu del Vidre

About the museum

The Museu i Forn del Vidre de Vimbodí i Poblet commemorates the importance blown glass had in the municipality during the first half of the 20th century. The local glassmaking tradition goes back to the Middle Ages: the first documented furnace, dating from 1188, belonged to the glassmaker Guillem and was near the Nerola fountain; it helped to launch the construction of the Poblet monastery. In the early 20th century master glassmakers arrived from all over Catalonia, and several furnaces made glass the town's main industry for some fifty years. They produced mainly porrons, setrills and garrafas, and trades emerged such as the sargaires, who covered the garrafas.

The museum opened on 16 January 1993; the furnace came into operation in 1996 and was inaugurated on 11 October 1997. It is run by Vimbodí i Poblet town council and, until 2013, formed part of the Museu Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà project. In 2011 it received the Museu Vivent distinction.

It has two floors. On the ground floor there is a small display of traditional pieces and of contemporary design, the shop and the workshop with the furnace, where a master glassmaker gives live demonstrations of blown glass. On the upper floor the history of glass is explained from its origins, and the permanent collection of blown-glass pieces made in Vimbodí at the beginning of the 20th century is displayed, together with tools and implements of the trade.

Highlights

• Open workshop with live blown-glass demonstrations
• Working blown-glass furnace, visible from the open workshop
• Permanent collection of blown-glass pieces made in Vimbodí in the early 20th century
• History of glass from its origins and of the local glass industry
• Fiesta Vitrum, dedicated to artisan glass

Permanent exhibition

• Colección permanente de vidrio de Vimbodí – Blown-glass pieces made in Vimbodí in the early 20th century, tools, implements used by the sargaires and an explanation of the history of glass.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Ajuntament de Vimbodí i Poblet

Admission & discounts

The individual ticket includes a self-guided visit of the collection and the live blown-glass demonstration. 2-for-1 admission with the Talonari Cultural of the Ruta del Cister, and for language-exchange pairs with a Voluntariat per la Llengua card. Free with the Club Super3 card or with a ticket to the Poblet monastery.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

School workshops, family experiences (for example decofusing and Abrakavidre) and free admission for children under 12.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum has a shop with glass pieces.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit