Museo del Vidrio de Santa Lucia
The Museo del Vidrio de Santa Lucía recognises Cartagena´s glassmaking traditions
Cartagenas new glass museum, the Museo del Vidrio de Santa Lucía, has now opened its doors to the public and is up and running as an exhibition facility and training centre, thanks to the efforts of the Asociación Artesanal de Vidrieros de Santa Lucía.
The aim is for the museum to become a key player in the continuation of the glass-blowing tradition of Cartagena, according to Francisco García Romero. Sr García Romero is the vice-president of the association, and heads a group of 22 craftsmen who are attempting to preserve and improve the craft in the city.
The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the past, present and future of glass-blowing in Cartagena, with an exhibition which includes more than 200 items in 15 display cases (made of glass, of course). The items all come from the old Santa Lucía glass factory, and some them date as far back as 1834.
At its peak the factory employed almost 400 people, and created around 1,000 pieces which are considered to be of great artistic value, forging an impressive reputation both in Spain and throughout the world. Some of these pieces are now on show in the Museo del Vidrio.
The ground floor of the building is home to the ovens, and here there will be daily demonstrations of glass-blowing. The process begins with the blow tube being placed in an oven at 1,200ºC, after which the craftsman begins to blow and tease the glass pellet to give it its shape. When the piece is ready, it is placed into a re-heating oven at 500ºC, where it remains for eight hours until it cools to a temperature where it can be manhandled and worked on.
This floor also houses a collection of the tools and machines traditionally used by glass blowers.
This is not a museum in the traditional sense of the word, as it is also a living, working museum, teaching the craft of glassart to young unemployed people.
The Museum is a key element in Cartagena´s future tourism plans, as it is being used as a means of not only taking young people off the dole and giving them pratical skills which they can use to generate employment, but also to produce goods which can be marketed as part of an all round tourism package, rather than buying in souvenir products from outside of the region.
The Museum also offers courses for those interested in learning these skills.
The Museo del Vidrio de Santa Lucía is open to the public from Mondays to Fridays, between 9.00 and 13.30.
Demonstrations take place between 11am and 1.30pm, so this is the best time to visit.
A 1 euro donation is requested to help support the project.
Courses are also offered for those who would like to learn the crafts practised here.
Museo del Vidrio de Santa Lucía
Calle Monroy
Barrio de Santa Lucía
Cartagena
Tel 968 501 069 / 679 154 036 ( Spanish)
Click for map, Calle Monroy, Cartagena
