Discover glass art from Bornholm at Gudhjem Glasrøgeri.
Gudhjem Glasrøgeri, or the "Glass Hut" as it is popularly called, is almost an extension of the Baltic Sea. A natural part of Gudhjem and Bornholm in general. Like something the surrounding rocks have molded and shaped by themselves.
It is this sense of nature, elements and the local environment that is the very soul of the small workshop and shop.
My name is Pernille Bastrup, and since 1993, I have been the owner and working glassblower at Gudhjem Glasrøgeri. I was educated at "Orrefors Glass School" (1979-1981) in Sweden, which is among the leading and most in-depth glassblowing courses in the world in terms of craftsmanship. However, my history with Gudhjem and the "Glashytten" stretches further back.
Gudhjem Glasrøgeri is today the oldest glassworkshop on Bornholm.
It was started in 1978 by musician Mogens Dam who had a great fascination and love for glass and the glassblowing craft. It was during his time that I was a summer holiday child with my grandmother and grandfather in Gudhjem.
I often hung out in the glass shop where my mother worked during the summer periods. Since I was always in the workshop anyway, during the breaks I learned how to take glass out of the oven, make stoppers for bottles and similar simple things. It was after such a summer that I applied to Orrefors and got in.
After graduating, and short periods of work elsewhere, I returned to Gudhjem. From 1981 I worked as a glassblower in Gudhjem Glasrøgeri, and was also responsible for much of the design. It was a natural development that I took over the lease in 1988.
In 1993 I then bought the business and the workshop and the rest is history.
I have been lucky enough to have some fantastic employees who have been there for both longer and shorter periods of time. And perhaps the fresh blood that has flowed through the workshop is the reason why today I am as happy to blow glass as when I started.
It is still a challenge, and a gift, to be allowed to develop new designs and bring the ideas to life with the help of some talented, creative employees.
My vision is to make glass for everyone, at a price where everyone can participate. My greatest joy is that people use my glass for everyday use and parties. Because it is when you stand with the glass in your hand that you get the real feeling of the glass. Not when it's just sitting on a shelf.
It is a joy to show the glass being made in the workshop and teach other glassblowers to carry on the old, traditional craft, so that it is not lost in mass production machines.
I love going to work and blowing glass. To sit on the bench and get inspiration and new ideas together with my glassblowers.
In addition, I enjoy being a small unit with good contact with the guests who come and visit us and of course also the city's residents and friends who come by for a chat.
