Probably, colored glass impresses everyone. It all starts with an odorous Christmas tree in your childhood when you try to see another, magical, world in multi-colored, fragile, and yet wonderful glass balls. Then you meet with friends to make a kaleidoscope with colored patterns. These moments were unforgettable...

You can remember it all, admiring the works of masters of different centuries in the Museum of Glass in the Belgian city of Charleroi. First of all, this is the place that treasures the memory of the time when the city was a Belgian glass industry center (from the middle of the 19th century to the 20th century).

After the Second World War, when it became clear that the past "glass" fame was gone, it was decided to create a museum. Disputes of where to build the museum were undergoing for a long time, but in the end, the location was chosen: the industrial territory of a former coal plant "Bois du Cazier". The building was slightly renewed and completed concerning the increase of the rooms' insolation.

Now the Museum of Glass covers an area of 400 meters. The Industrial Museum and the memorial of the Bois du Cazier coal mine, dedicated to a tragedy of 1956, are located in the neighboring buildings.

The whole history of glass is reflected in the museum collections. Visitors can see the first glass plates from the territory of ancient people’s settlements. Probably, these glass plates were formed as a result of glass and soda baking after they had got into a fire. The improvement of technology has led to the appearance of the famous Venetian glass. For two centuries this glass was extremely famous in Europe and all over the world for its colors, sophistication, and small, fragile details.

Then the exposition period changes: the Venetian glass is replaced by English crystal and Bohemian glass. At the beginning of the 20th century, the whole world got mad about the elegance of Art Nouveau: vases, tableware, and filigree perfume bottles in the Museum of Glass.

The gallery attached to the main building holds temporary exhibitions of modern glass artists. Moreover, during those exhibitions guests have an opportunity to join master-classes on creating and painting glass items.