Holmegaard Værk

From peat bog glassworks to design icon

Holmegaard Værk occupies the historic Holmegaard Glass Factory, founded in 1825 on the edge of Holmegaard Mose, a peat bog chosen for its abundant fuel for the hungry furnaces. Here, Countess Henriette Danneskiold-Samsøe turned her late husband’s idea into reality, building what would become Denmark’s most important glassworks and a cornerstone of Scandinavian design. The factory grew from simple green bottles to refined tableware that ended up on dining tables across Europe. Across the 19th and 20th centuries, Holmegaard attracted leading designers such as Jacob E. Bang and Per Lütken, whose clean, functional shapes helped define modern Danish glass. Production expanded, merged with other glassworks and later with the Royal Porcelain Factory, before industrial glassmaking finally ceased in the 2000s. Rather than fade away, the site was reinvented and reopened in 2020 as Holmegaard Værk, a museum dedicated to glass, ceramics and the everyday beauty of Danish design.

Immersive halls filled with shimmering glass

Step inside the former production buildings and you are met by soaring brick halls, steel beams and a cool industrial hush that amplifies the sparkle of glass everywhere you look. One of the most striking spaces is a monumental display wall with tens of thousands of Holmegaard pieces, arranged so that one example of almost every item ever produced forms a dazzling, almost sculptural archive in glass. The museum also houses a major collection of Kähler ceramics, presented to show how patterns, glazes and forms shifted with changing times and tastes. In the vast Hebsgaard Hall, large-scale glass art and collaborations between artists and master glaziers fill the space, turning the old factory into a cathedral of light and color. Temporary exhibitions add contemporary art, design and sometimes surprising names from international art history, ensuring there is always something new to discover alongside the permanent collections.

Live glassblowing and the heat of the furnace

Holmegaard Værk is not just about looking at finished objects; it is also about witnessing how they are made. In the hotshop, modern glass artists bring the old furnaces back to life. From the visitor area you can feel the wave of heat, hear the low roar of the ovens and watch as glowing blobs of molten glass are gathered on blowpipes, spun, stretched and coaxed into delicate bowls, vases or sculptural pieces. Demonstrations reveal the choreography between craftspeople: one opens the furnace door, another shapes with wooden blocks soaked in water, a third clips and polishes details before the glass cools. Throughout, guides and signage explain techniques such as blowing into moulds, casing colors and cutting. It is a rare chance to understand just how much skill, timing and teamwork lie behind a seemingly simple glass tumbler.

Layers of industrial heritage in South Zealand nature

Outside the exhibition halls, remnants of chimneys, tracks and old production buildings hint at the time when up to a thousand people worked here around the clock. The museum is wrapped in the soft landscape of South Zealand: low forest, traces of peat cuttings and open sky that once defined the daily view for generations of glassworkers and their families. This relationship between industry and nature is part of Holmegaard Værk’s character. Walking between buildings, you can sense how an isolated industrial outpost gradually grew into a community, sometimes referred to as a “city of glass”. Subtle lighting and careful restoration emphasize brick textures and original details, while new interventions – glass façades, carefully placed walkways, contemporary lighting design – mark the site’s transformation from working factory to cultural landmark. It feels both raw and refined, with history visible in every surface.

Design stories, creative activities and time to linger

Visitors can take their time moving between themed sections that tell stories of everyday life through objects: milk bottles and pickle jars, ship’s glasses and candleholders, vases designed as wedding gifts or birthday presents. Interpretive texts and displays focus on design thinking and craftsmanship rather than on luxury, making it easy to connect what you see in the museum to familiar objects at home. Creative workshops and hands-on stations, offered on selected days, invite children and adults to experiment with patterns, colors and simple materials inspired by glass and ceramics. A café set within the industrial surroundings offers a place to sit with a drink or snack while looking out over the old factory yard. With its mix of heritage, living craft and calm setting, Holmegaard Værk works equally well as a focused design pilgrimage or as a relaxed half-day outing in the countryside.