In Danish glass factories the combination of technical know-how and artistic ingenuity resulted in artistically made glass for everyday use.
The first Danish glass factory was built in 1825 in the middle of a moor area, peat being used to heat the melting furnaces. Green bottles were first made with the help of Norwegian glassmakers, – and later clear and opal glass tableware with Bohemian expertise. In the course of the 19th century other Danish glass companies emerged.
Denmark‘s success with elegant industrial glass began in the 1950s through the intensive collaboration between designers and glass craftsmen in the company‘s own product development workshops. The glass factories later recognised the potentials of studio glass; its Danish center was in Ebeltoft, led by Finn Lynggaard, and acted as an intermediary between glass design, studio glass and training. From the end of the 1970s, tourist-oriented handicraft workshops in vacant buildings also gave life to the island of Bornholm.
Crisis and Recovery
Instead of involving designers in glassworks, new, holistic production concepts are being established.
The consequences of globalisation brought the traditional Danish design glass production
to an end.
In many parts of Denmark, such as in Lønstrup, Hundested, Copenhagen, Ebeltoft or on Bornholm, the craft is today continued on a sustainable basis by small-scale studio glass workshops. On Bornholm there is co-operation between the administrative authority and the arts and crafts scene, and the Danish Art Academy with its BA course in glass and ceramics. In 2017, the island was named a UNESCO World Crafts Region. Handicrafts, art and design create an identity for the whole society, and build international bridges.
The former Holmegaard factory carries on the cultural heritage of glass as a museum and centre for innovation, research and social development.
