The museum in Jablonec will start building an extension in the shape of a crystal this year

Jablonec nad Nisou - The Glass and Costume Jewelry Museum in Jablonec nad Nisou will begin construction of an extension this year costing approximately 60 million CZK, which will take the form of a glass-cut crystal. The construction will be funded by the Ministry of Culture, which is the museum's founder. The museum has already received the decision on the grant allocation. Milada Valečková, the museum director, informed CTK about this today.

The museum will receive money from the state gradually, with 25 million CZK expected this year. The project documentation is already complete, and the next step will be the announcement of a public procurement for the construction portion. "We plan to start the actual construction around September. We would like to complete it, including the exhibition, to celebrate the museum's 115th anniversary in 2019," Valečková stated.

The museum needs the extension due to a lack of space. It primarily wants to house a permanent exhibition of Christmas decorations there. The museum owns what is likely the largest public collection in the world, totaling over 15,000 items. The collection is currently stored in a depository, and the museum is gradually presenting it during Christmas exhibitions. The collection is remarkable not only for its quantity but also for the variety of patterns and their variations, colors and shades, traditional and modern decorative techniques, and accompanying components.

The design for the extension emerged from an architectural competition. The jury selected the proposal from Hlaváček-architects, which it deemed best met the requirement of combining modern architecture with the existing heritage-protected building.

The first floor of the extension will serve as technical support for the museum, including storage, garages, and air conditioning. The second floor will house the Christmas decorations, and the exhibition design was created by designer Jakub Berdych Jr. "Our concept is based on the fact that Christmas decorations from Bohemia were mainly sent overseas. Therefore, in the exhibition, you will find showcases reminiscent of Manhattan or an ocean liner - we call it the Titanic," he said.

The third floor will connect seamlessly to the existing museum vestibule and is designed as a multipurpose space for temporary exhibitions, lectures, or concerts. During the summer season, it could also be used as a café. "From this space, there will be a perfect view of the museum park, which will be completely revitalized and opened to the public as part of the construction work. In the future, we would like to gradually fill it with works of art," Valečková added.