faceted glass

On September 11, 1943, at the oldest glass factory in Russia in the city of Gus-Khrustalny (Vladimir region), the first faceted glass in the Soviet Union was produced, which was immediately nicknamed "Malenkovsky" by the people.

The origin of the faceted glass is not known for certain. There is a widespread point of view that in Russia faceted glasses began to be made in the era of Peter I in the same city of Gus-Khrustalny. A faceted glass did not roll off the table if it capsized during the ship's roll. In any case, we can say with confidence that before the revolution, glasses and stacks with edges were already made in Russia.

The design of the faceted Soviet-style glass is often attributed to the Soviet sculptor Vera Ignatievna Mukhina, the author of the monumental composition "Worker and Collective Farm Girl". And although there is no documentary confirmation of this fact, it is known that Mukhina really became interested in glass in the 1940s. According to another version, the Ural engineer Nikolai Slavyanov became the developer of the faceted glass. Sketches of glasses with 10, 20 and 30 faces have been preserved in his diaries, although he suggested making a glass from metal.

Later, the production of glasses with a volume of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 350 milliliters was mastered, which quickly gained popularity among the population. This is due to the fact that a faceted glass has a number of advantages compared to a conventional cylindrical glass. Thanks to its edges, such a glass is much stronger and can survive a fall on a concrete floor from a meter height. Therefore, faceted glasses are produced to this day and are used in catering establishments, as well as in passenger trains (usually with a cup holder).