Hadeland Glassverk

Hadeland Glassverk was founded in 1762 and began production in 1765, at first mainly bottles, chemists' jars and household glass, and it is the oldest industrial company in Norway that can claim continuous operation since its foundation, and it remains a working glassworks: visitors stand at a rail in the hot shop and watch teams gather, blow and shape glass at the furnaces, a process that has changed less than the products have. Alongside the production hall are a design shop selling the current range, a museum on the works' history, a glass gallery, a bakery and cafes, and workshops where visitors can blow a piece themselves with help. The site sits at the southern end of the Randsfjord and expands considerably in December with a Christmas market that draws large numbers from Oslo.

History

The glassworks was founded in 1762 on land belonging to the Mo estate and began production in 1765 with craftsmen recruited from abroad, mainly from Germany, making bottles, chemists' jars, medicine bottles and household glass. Under Ole Christian Berg from 1852 it turned to smaller crystal pieces, and in May 2012 King Harald marked its 250th anniversary (Wikipedia, Hadeland Glassverk).

What you'll find

• The hot shop - teams blowing and shaping glass at the furnaces.
• The museum - the works' history from 1762 onward.
• The try-it workshops - supervised sessions blowing your own piece.
• The Christmas market - a large December event across the site.

When to go

Year-round; glassblowing runs on weekdays and is reduced or absent at weekends and during summer plant holidays, so weekday mornings are the reliable time. December brings the Christmas market and crowds.

What to expect

Blowing does not happen every day, particularly in the summer holiday period, so checking the schedule matters. The site is largely retail, with shops occupying much of it. The Christmas market is extremely busy at weekends.

Nearby

Kistefos Museum is a few kilometres away; Oslo lies forty kilometres southeast.

Key facts