Vintage ashtray Emerald by Huta Hortensja Poland 1970s

This emerald coloured glass ashtray comes from the Hortensja glassworks in Piotrków Trybunalski and was made in the 1970s. A functional object made of pressed glass in a beautiful shade of green. The condition of the object is good, it shows slight signs of use - scratches on the bottom due to displacement. Dimensions: dimensions approximately 8.5 x 8.5 cm. Height: about 3 cm. Dimensions in inches: dimensions approximately 3.3 x 3.3 cm, height approximately 1.2 cm. After the First World War, "Hortensja" expanded - in 1921 it employed about 500 workers. It produced elegant blown and pressed glass in fashionable art deco shapes. It received many international awards for its products. The difficult working conditions and low wages (the owners, who were sympathetic to the Nazis, invested most of their profits across the western border of Poland) led to numerous strikes, including in 1923, 1928, 1932, 1936. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, the owners of Hortensja "The Haeblers" left Piotrków. During the war, the factory was under German administration. In the People's Poland, the glassworks was nationalized and received the name Huta Szkła Gospodarczego "Hortensja". Almost all the old buildings were demolished or completely rebuilt. In the 1970s, "Hortensja" employed over 2,000 people. It exported its products to about 120 countries. Despite its transformation into a company with a single shareholder from the State Treasury in 1993, 'Hortensja' did not survive the political and economic changes and ceased its activities at the end of the 1990s.