Connected by Glass!

“Connected by Glass!” was a project carried out by the town of Železný Brod in cooperation with the Municipal Museum in Železný Brod.
Funded by the EEA and Norway Grants, the project aimed to strengthen the management of cultural heritage through the revitalisation of the museum premises, ensuring the optimal conservation of its collections.
It also sought to introduce an innovative approach to the presentation of the collections and to support further initiatives leading to deeper bilateral cooperation and regional development.
The total funding provided by the EEA and Norway Grants amounted to 28,166,983 CZK.. https://www.eeagrants.cz/

The project was launched on April 1, 2021, and concluded on April 30, 2024.

WHAT WAS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

New exhibitions and digitalisation

Its most visible aspect was the construction of a new, modern, and interactive exhibition, along with the renovation of visitor facilities. The modernisation of the museum was also accompanied by a significant process of digitisation. A large portion of the collection was digitised and made accessible online. The new exhibition was also digitised and made available on the museum’s website as a virtual tour. The project further included the professional documentation of the historical glass collection.

Spojeno sklem

International Summer Glass Workshop Symposium

The Summer Glass Workshop, organised in cooperation with the museum, the Secondary School of Applied Arts, the Town of Železný Brod, and the Detesk company, was a prestigious event for glass artists. Each year, four artists were selected to participate in the symposium. With support from the project, two Norwegian glass artists took part in the symposium in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This international participation enhanced the prestige of the symposium and helped foster strong ties with the Norwegian glassmaking community. International collaboration raised the profile of the artistic glassmaking tradition in Železný Brod.

Following in the footsteps of Střípek the Elf

LOG aktualne to nejlepsi 1 The museum actively supported the preservation and development of the local glassmaking heritage. As part of these efforts, the family game “Following in the Footsteps of Střípek the Elf,” previously run by the Železný Brod Tourist Information Centre, was incorporated into the project. The collaboration with the tourist centre, local glass entrepreneurs, and other partners contributed to the town’s economic and social development, while fostering valuable and lasting dialogue among stakeholders in the field of glassmaking.

Romani people and glass

One of the museum’s key objectives was to research and reflect the phenomenon of glassmaking in Železný Brod. This included detailed scholarly research. Accordingly, the museum decided to map the contributions and role of the local Roma community in regional glass production. Research was conducted on the topic of Roma and glass, the findings of which were included in the new permanent exhibition. In cooperation with the Museum of Romani Culture, the museum also held an exhibition of works by Rudolf Dzurko, an artist who worked with coloured glass. To involve the local Roma community in this legacy, the museum organised three glass-themed workshops for Roma children as part of the project.