The art of glassmaking or should I say, glass blowing, goes back a pretty long time in Mallorca. The first furnaces for glassmaking in the Balearic Isles were probably set up in Eivissa (Ibiza) by the Phoenicians during the 2nd century B. C. Later in time, the Romans and more recently, the Moors produced glass in Mallorca.
In 1719, Hornos de Gordiola was established in Palma de Mallorca. The enterprise is still going strong to this day, now known under the name of Vidrios de Mallorca Gordiola. In Palma, there are two Gordiola shops and near Algaida, there is a set-up with shop premises, a production facility with furnaces where you can watch glass objects being blown and crafted, hand finished and fired. There also is a rather intriguing Museo de Vidrio where glass objects from all over the world are on display, including Greek, Roman, Persian, Byzantine, Venetian, German, Spanish and so forth.
The Gordiola glass museum makes for a rewarding visit as long as you are interested in the beauty of objects and in historic relics. Entrance to the museum is through the shop and by way of the upper shop galleries. The museum display cases could do with a facelift if you ask me. Admission is free.
The photos were taken near Algaida, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 13th, 2010. The time was 13:24:32 and 13:10:12, respectively.
