Claret
Claret is an attractive stone
built village, of 1320 inhabitants, situated about 34 km. north east of
Montpellier. It is surrounded by garrigue, and forests, and adjacent to the
Causse de l’Hortus, in an area that is probably the most natural, and undeveloped
area of the Department of the Herault.
During the
14th century, glass blowing developed strongly. Wood was plentiful to
heat the ovens, as was large deposits of silica sand, the first material in the
making of glass. The King gave the privilege of glass manufacture to "gentilshommes
verriers". These were generally noblemen who, returning from the crusades,
discovered that their wealth had disappeared whilst they had been in the Holy
Lands. These “noble” glassmakers continued their trade over approximately three
centuries, but in the course of time it died out.
Today, glass
blowers are returning to the area, and a glass making centre was set up in
Claret. This has now developed into the present day Halle du Verre.
Le Chemin
des Verriers has been signposted, to allow visitors to discover the villages
where the glass blowers exploited their trade. www,claret,fr
Hall of Glass
From ancient
times to modern day, pierce the mysteries of glass
The Hall of
Glass is unique in France, and presents, for the first time, the history and
techniques of glass making in the Mediterranean region, from ancient, to modern
times. Local glass history is also on display with items discovered during
excavations of the Couloubrines and Seube glassworks, notably a glass dish from
Seube.
There is a
Tourist Office located in the entrance hall, and a small shop, selling locally
crafted glass items.
Temporary
exhibitions are organised on historical and contemporary topics. They rely on
the support of local glassmakers, European art schools, researchers and
archaeologists working in the field of glass.
The Hall of
Glass welcomes families, students, and groups, as well as experts in the history
and art of glassmaking.
The
permanent exhibition, located on the ground floor, provides an overview of the
origins, and legends related to the discovery of glass; the Mediterranean glass
trade in ancient times; glass from Medieval to modern times, glassmaking
techniques, the role of glass in everyday life, and the fascinating history of
the noble glassmakers of the Causse de l’Orthus.
Glass makers
frequently came from titled families. This often resulted from their sons
departing on the crusades, and upon returning to France discovering that their
wealth had been eaten up with their endeavours in the Holy Lands. This forced
them to earn a living, by taking up occupations that they had observed whilst
overseas. In gratitude the King allowed these impoverished knights, the monopoly
in their trade. Because of the vast forests surrounding Claret it became a good
region to perform glass manufacture. Today there is a signposted route to follow
the trail of these ancient glass blowers.
Top quality
scientific presentations are accessible to everyone, from amateur glass
historians to families, and students.
A focus has
been made on young audiences with the design of a special exhibition, with its
own itinerary, and an educational handbook.
A rich and
varied programme of cultural, and artistic events that includes annual
exhibitions, spectacles, conferences and meetings on the theme of contemporary
and ancient glass.
The first
weekend of each month, a modern workshop within the hall, will be open to the public, to observe an
artist blowing glass.
Scientific
work has been supervised by Danièle Foy, a research director at CNRS (Centre
national de la recherche scientifique
) specialised in ancient and medieval glass, assisted by Laurence Serra (PhD
student at LAAM, Université de Provence CNRS).
We visited The Halle du
Verre and guided through it, by a lady, who through her enthusiasm, turned what
would normally been a very quick visit, into one that lasted an hour, and was
extremely interesting. The visit was in French, however there are plans to
provide an audio guide in English in the near future.
http://www.halleduverre.fr
Practical Information
Opening
Hours:
April/May/June/September/October
Wednesday to
Sunday: from 14h00 to 18h00
The Hall of
Glass is closed to the public: Mondays and Tuesdays and the 1st of May
July and August
Every day
from 10h00 to 13h00 and 15h00 to 19h00
Annual
closing: from November to March
Entry:
• Adults: 3
€
• Free for
children under 15 years old in the company of their families
• Reduced
rates: “day camps”, “school groups”, or “adult groups” (10 or more children or
adults –
unguided visit): 2 € per person.
Another
craft to discover in the village, is that of the Cade Distillery.
Cade is
a type of juniper, found frequently in the garrigue, oil is obtained by slowly
burning the wood, and extra cting
the oil. The oil is used in cosmetics, and medicines. Local shepherds, formerly,
used it to accelerate healing.
The Cade Distillery is the last to be found in Europe.
huile de cade - Distillerie des
Cévennes, 34270 Claret, Hérault
COULOUBRINES
is an archaeological site, of an ancient glass manufacturer .
In the 16th
century glass blowers descending from noble families started their trade on the Causse de l’Horthus. Today the Chemin des Verriers allows
you to follow the trail of these glass manufacturers.
A good
restaurant, nearby is;
Mas de Baumes - Restaurant La Cour
34190 Ferrieres les Verreries
Tel04 66 80 88 80
Mas de Baumes,
restaurant La Cour
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