Glass art

The history of Belarusian glass manufacturing dates from the early Middle Ages. Pior to that glassware was brought from the countries of Middle East and Byzantium. Back in the 7th century our ancestors tried to manufacture glass beads, rings and bracelets. In the 11th century the first gootas (glassworks) were set up.

The best known in Belarus glass manufactories of Naliboki and Urečča were established in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, 32 big glassworks existed in the territory of Belarus, including the Barysaŭ manufacturing factory, founded in 1898. From 1899 to 1919 it was the property of the Krajewskis, a Vilna manufacturers dynasty. By the end of the 19th century Modern (Art Nouveau) became the prevailing style. The Barysaŭ glass tableware was awarded the Grand Prix and two big gold medals of the All-Russian Industrial Exhibition (1908) and a gold medal at the glass products exhibition in Paris (1910).

The present exhibition includes glass tableware of early 20th century in the collection of the Barysaŭ State United Museum.

The history of the Neman Glassworks dates from 1883 when the landowner Zenon Lenski set up a small enterprise for the production of bottle glass and other types of glassware near a village which is now the town Biarozaŭka in the Lida District of the Hrodna Region. In 1890s, the Lenski’s enterprise became the property of engineer Wilhelm Krajewski and glass decoration artist Juliusz Stolle. In 1939 the J. Stolle’s enterprise was nationalized and during World War II it was destroyed. From 1944, a new history of the factory began. In 1958, an experiment- and -art section was set up and later joined by artists Arkadz Anishchyk and Halina Sidarevich.

From the second half of the 20th century the ‘Neman’ glass has been always presented at Belarusian and international exhibitions where it won prestigious awards.