Visit the Glass and Crystal Museum in Meisenthal
MuseumsA marvellous time machine, the Meisenthal Glassworks pays tribute to the working class memory of its territory by combining its technical, artistic and architectural heritage with contemporary creative expressions. After a first stop in the reception/ticket office/shop area, the tour begins with a visit to the Glass Museum.
In order to organise the next Christmas season in the best possible conditions, our tour route is closed until 13 November inclusive.
Brand new and richly documented, it celebrates with panache three centuries of glassmaking adventures in Meisenthal and the region. In the International Glass Art Centre, an exhibition gallery and a mezzanine overlooking a workshop dedicated to glassblowers' demonstrations show us the revival of the glassmaking tradition. The last stage of the visit takes us to the Halle Verrière, a converted industrial cathedral, offering an eclectic programme (contemporary music, live arts and contemporary art).
Horaires d'ouverture
From Saturday 1 April to Sunday 20 October 2024: open Tuesday to Sunday from 1.30 pm to 6 pm. Closed on Mondays except on public holidays.
5pm: last ticket sale
The Glass and Crystal Museum
The Verrerie de Meisenthal was founded in 1704 in the northern Vosges mountains in eastern France. It produced tens of millions of pieces of utilitarian glass and cheap goblets. Between 1867 and 1894, the glassworks served as a laboratory for Emile Gallé, leader of the Ecole de Nancy, who carried out unprecedented technical and artistic research, giving Meisenthal the status of "cradle of Art Nouveau glass". The production unit survived the world wars but did not choose to modernise its production facilities and was run aground at the dawn of the 1970s. The factory, which had up to 650 employees, closed its doors on 31 December 1969, leaving in its wake a voiceless siren, a church black with smoke, a wasteland stripped of its parts by scrap merchants, and the crumbling memories of a workers' adventure that was (dis)past. With full employment, there are no social movements, no revolts. Just the harmless death of a limited company. Only in appearance. Because there, in the hollow of the mountains, the faith of men, entrepreneurs, virtuoso glassmakers and creators has never been extinguished...