GlassRoutes – Along the Paths of Glassmakers in the Gorizia Region

At the Tolmin Museum, we have prepared a small exhibition that revives the memory of a once-important economic activity that, by a twist of circumstances, developed in our region. The vast, long-unexploited forests, the abundance of watercourses, and the availability of suitable raw materials—especially quartz sand—attracted master glassmakers who knew how to transform simple natural resources into highly valuable utilitarian and decorative objects.

The exhibition Glassworks in the Trebuša and Trnovo Forest Area is the result of our collaboration within the cross-border project GlassRoutes – Along the Paths of Glassmakers in the Gorizia Region, carried out by ZRC SAZU, Research Station of Nova Gorica, Milko Kos Historical Institute in cooperation with ERPAC – Musei Provinciali di Gorizia. The project sheds light on various aspects related to the history of glassmaking, some of which are already presented in the exhibition in Lokve. These themes are further expanded in Tolmin and will later also be displayed in Gorizia, and finally compiled in a special publication. Alongside the exhibitions, several thematic events are taking place—one of them will follow shortly after the opening in Tolmin. With this new open-air display on the museum square, the author Karla Kofol complements her current exhibition in the Tolmin Museum Gallery, which is likewise inspired by the forests.

If you enjoy glass in its many forms and are interested in the history of glassmaking, you are kindly invited to join us.

Exhibition opening
GLASSWORKS IN THE TREBUŠA AND TRNOVO FOREST AREA
accompanied by a tasting of dishes inspired by the forest

Tolmin, in front of the Tolmin Museum
Friday, 10 October 2025, at 6 p.m.

Themed Hike
ALONG THE PATHS OF GLASSMAKERS ON THE EDGE OF THE TRNOVO FOREST
Lokve – Gypsy Valley (Ciganska dolina) in Mrzla Draga – Kafehaus – Lokve
(duration approx. 2 hours)

Lokve – Lazna
Sunday, 12 October 2025, at 10 a.m.

Meeting point: in front of the school in Lokve (centre of the Village).
At the end of the hike, participants will be treated to a venison goulash.