Museum of Ancient Glass

Roman Iader was a glass-using town and its cemeteries were full of the results: bottles, unguent flasks, beakers, jars and the small tear-shaped vessels buried with the dead. The museum, opened in 2009 in a restored palace above the harbour, holds several thousand pieces from Zadar and its region, one of the larger collections of ancient glass in Europe, displayed in dark rooms with the vessels lit individually so the iridescence that centuries in the ground produce is visible. A glassblowing workshop on site works replicas with Roman techniques in front of visitors, and the pieces are sold in the shop.

What you actually see

• Thousands of Roman glass vessels - from the cemeteries of Iader.
• Iridescence from burial - the surface change centuries underground produce.
• Dark rooms, individual lighting - the way the collection is shown.
• A working glassblowing workshop - Roman techniques demonstrated live.

When to go

Year round; the workshop runs on a schedule, so check on arrival. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Glassblowing demonstrations are not continuous and can be missed. This is a single-material collection and long for anyone not interested in it. Lighting is deliberately low, which frustrates photography.

Nearby

The Sea Organ and Roman forum are in the old town; Nin is north.