Glassworks in the Trebuša Valley and Trnovo Forest

Exhibition on historic glassworks in the Trebuša Valley and Trnovo Forest: explore 18th–19th century glass production, as part of FrikaFest 2025.

The panel exhibition is part of the international project Glass Routes and explores the glassmaking activity that was present in the Trebuša Valley and the Trnovo Forest in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Upper Soča Valley is covered by vast forests, which remained almost untouched until the beginning of the modern era, when the area came under Habsburg rule. The new authorities sought to make the most of the state-owned forests, which represented a valuable resource. Merchants were invited into the forested areas to ensure that timber from remote forests reached Gorizia, Trieste, Venice, and other coastal cities via the Soča River and other waterways. To exploit the timber wealth in the most inaccessible forests, other industries based on wood as a primary raw material were also encouraged. In the Trebuša Valley, where abundant wood was available along with the essential quartz sand, the only glassworks in the Primorska region began operating in the first half of the 18th century. Over roughly a hundred years, it relocated several times, finally settling in Mojska Draga near Lokve. Around 1825, after exhausting all permitted wood supplies, the production of valuable glass had to be permanently stopped.   The event is part of the FrikaFest festival. FrikaFest 2025 Program >