A Timeline of the Estonian Glass Industry – From Hüti to Tarbeklaas
The history of the Estonian glass industry stretches back almost four centuries. Small glassworks operating amid Estonia’s forests gradually gave way to mirror factories and industrial glass production, eventually leading to the renowned Estonian glass design of the 20th century.
This timeline takes us through the most important places and companies in the history of Estonia’s glass industry – from Hüti and Rõika to Meleski, Eidapere, Järvakandi, Lorup and Tarbeklaas.
1628–1664 · Hüti Glassworks
The beginning of Estonia’s glass industry
The Hüti Glassworks on the island of Hiiumaa is considered the starting point of Estonia’s glass industry. The glassworks was established on the estates of Jakob De la Gardie and produced bottles, window glass and simple glassware.
18th Century · Manor Glassworks
Glassmaking spreads across Estonia
During the 18th century, numerous small glassworks were established on Estonian manor estates. Glass production required large quantities of wood to fuel the furnaces as well as suitable sand, which is why glassworks were often located in heavily forested areas.
Many of them operated for only a few decades.
1770s · Tõrna and Kamari
From glass to mirrors
A glass furnace was established at Tõrna and a mirror factory at Kamari in the Põltsamaa region. These enterprises were important predecessors of the later large-scale Rõika-Meleski glass and mirror industry.
1792–1795 · Rõika-Meleski
The beginning of large-scale glass production in Estonia
The Rõika-Meleski mirror factory was established on the lands of Võisiku Manor.
Glass was produced at Meleski, while at Rõika it was ground and made into mirrors. During the 19th century, the enterprise developed into one of Estonia’s most important glass manufacturers.
19th Century · The Golden Age of Meleski and Rõika
Estonian glass enters the industrial era
Rõika-Meleski was already producing glass on a considerable scale. Glassmaking was no longer a small craft enterprise but an organised industry.
The name Meleski would remain closely associated with Estonia’s glass industry for more than another century.
1920s · A New Era for the Estonian Glass Industry
Independent Estonia needs its own glass
Following the establishment of the Republic of Estonia, the glass industry began to modernise. Local sources of raw materials were developed, Piusa sand came into use, and a new generation of glassmakers was trained.
Important names from this period include:
Meleski · Eidapere · EKO · Järvakandi
1920s–1930s · Eidapere
A glass factory and a school for glassmakers
During the interwar period, Eidapere developed into one of Estonia’s important centres of glass production. A glassmaking school also operated there, training new skilled workers for the industry.
1920s–1930s · EKO
Eesti Klaasitööstuse Osaühisus
EKO was one of the glass manufacturers operating in interwar Estonia, and its products are now part of the history of Estonia’s early industrial glassware.
1924–1933 · Johannes Lorup in Meleski
The Lorup story begins in Meleski
Before establishing his famous glass factory in Tallinn, Johannes Lorup leased the Meleski Glassworks.
The experience gained in Meleski, together with skilled workers and advances in production, laid the foundations for the next major chapter in the history of Estonian glass.
1930s · Järvakandi
A new major centre of glass production
Järvakandi developed into one of Estonia’s most important centres for industrial glass production.
While Lorup and later Tarbeklaas are often associated with vases, bowls and drinking glasses, Järvakandi also became strongly associated with sheet glass, bottles and packaging glass.
1934 · Johannes Lorup Glass Factory
A modern glass factory is established in Tallinn
Johannes Lorup opened his glass factory in Kopli, Tallinn.
The factory produced drinking glasses, decanters, vases, bowls, bottles, jars and numerous other household glass objects.
Lorup glass became one of the best-known symbols of Estonia’s glass industry in the 1930s.
1937 · Estonian Crystal
Lorup opens a crystal department
Crystal production begins at the Lorup factory.
Alongside industrial production, deliberate design becomes increasingly important. A glass vessel is no longer simply a practical household object – it becomes a design object.
Late 1930s · The Birth of Estonian Glass Design
Glass manufacturing and art education become increasingly connected. The first professionally designed Estonian glass objects appear, along with a new generation of glass designers.
One of the important names from this period is Agnes Ney, regarded as Estonia’s first professional glass designer.
1940 · The Lorup Factory is Nationalised
Following the Soviet occupation, Johannes Lorup’s company is nationalised.
The era of the Lorup Glass Factory as a privately owned enterprise comes to an end.
1941 · Tarbeklaas
The Lorup factory receives a new name
The former Lorup Glass Factory becomes Tarbeklaas.
Lorup and Tarbeklaas are therefore not two entirely separate chapters in Estonian glass history. Tarbeklaas continued production in the same Tallinn factory established by Johannes Lorup.
1950s–1980s · The Golden Era of Tarbeklaas
Estonian glass becomes Estonian design
Artists and designers working at Tarbeklaas create objects that find their way into tens of thousands of homes.
Important glass artists and designers from this period include:
Helga Kõrge · Ingi Vaher · Pilvi Ojamaa · Mirjam Maasikas · Eino Mäelt
The vases, bowls, jugs, decanters and drinking glasses that can still be found in homes and vintage shops today are also part of Estonia’s design history.
1990s · From Tarbeklaas to Skankristall
Following the restoration of Estonia’s independence, the fate of the former Tarbeklaas factory also changed. The company was privatised, and production continued under new owners and names.
One of these was Skankristall.
2001 · The Lorup Name Returns
Skankristall revives the historic Lorup trademark.
Almost seventy years after Johannes Lorup established his Tallinn factory, his name once again appears on Estonian glassware.
2002–2007 · The End of a Long Industrial Story
Almost 400 years of Estonian glass
Skankristall goes bankrupt, although glass production continues in various forms at the old factory for some time.
Production at the factory established by Johannes Lorup in the 1930s comes to an end in 2007.
The story of Estonia’s glass industry is one of the most fascinating chapters in the country’s industrial and design history. Behind it lie centuries of glassblowers, grinders, mould makers, industrialists and designers, as well as a long line of glassworks and factories, some of which are almost forgotten today.
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