Finnish Glass Museum

At Riihimaki, north of Helsinki, is Finland’s national museum of the glass industry. The origins of the museum were in 1961 but in 1980 it relocated to a former industrial building. This began in 1914 as a mill for processing peat and was converted for Riihimäki Glassworks in 1921. It operated finally as a department for polishing crystal. The beautiful spaces and elegant displays of the museum were created by the leading designer Tapio Wirkkala. The focus of the museum is on the three centuries of the glass industry in Finland. The ground floor presents 4,000 years of glass production and explains methods of glassblowing, machine manufacturing and decoration. Upstairs, the glass collection celebrates Finnish design. There are temporary exhibitions of historical collections and contemporary glass artists. The museum also houses a research library and archive. Nearby are other glassworks buildings adapted to new uses and the settlement of Hyttikortteli, which was built for glass workers.