The Incredible Collection Of The Stunning Museum Of Ancient Glass In Zadar

The Museum of Ancient Glass is a new enough addition to the city and is located on the Jazine Harbour, a sweeping enclave filled with expensive yachts, in the restored 19th century Cosmacendi Palace. It is home to one of the world's best collections of ancient Roman glass, tracing back to when Croatia was a part of the Roman Empire called Dalmatia. Sourced from all over Croatia, the collection is made up of pieces of jewellery, goblets, vials, jars, glass urns and more.

Many pieces are little more than mere fragments, yet the variety of glass objects, often painted or blown in coloured glass, is still very beautiful. The space in which it is displayed, expertly laid out and filled with light boxes, is ideal for heightening this beauty and the ethereal music played in the museum makes the whole experience quite magical.

The museum guides visitors through the history of glass-making and techniques and introduces different objects that were created over the centuries. Some of the highlights being the delicate vessels used by Roman ladies to store perfumes and cosmetics, the glass cups used to celebrate Mass, the elegant flasks in which holy water was stored, funeral urns, glass jewellery (rings, hairpins, beads, necklaces and more), and glass miniatures. Panels in Croatian and English accompany the objects and introduce the thematically organised rooms throughout and multimedia aids such as videos and interactive tools are used to enhance the experience. There is also a glassblowing workshop and school on the second floor of the museum where demos and classes take place and replicas of ancient pieces on display are made before going on sale in the gift shop.

Fascinating, wonderfully organised and very educational, a visit to the museum is a special experience and a must for those visiting this amazing city in Croatia.

Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday, 9am-9pm

Tickets:
30/20/10kn

Poljana Zemaljskog odbora 1