The village settled along the high valley of the Moder which widens here around ponds. Surrounded mainly by forest and more particularly of hardwood which grows on the sandstone plateau in the prolongation of the plateau Lorraine. Although Wingen-sur-Moder seems to be mentioned as early as the 8th century, the country remains sparsely populated until the arrival of Swiss immigrants after the Thirty Years War.
The establishment of glassworks in the eighteenth century also contributed to the growth of the population.
The museum, opened in 2011, is located on the former Hochberg glassworks site. If Lalique has never produced in this precise place, the place makes it possible to make the link between the regional glassmaking tradition going back to the end of the Middle Ages and the Lalique factory which is in the same village since 1921. The museum is registered perfectly in its natural and architectural environment. Thus, outside, the architecture plays with the topography of places to highlight the old buildings while the new building is semi-buried.
The permanent collection presents the many facets of René Lalique's work, from jewelery to architectural elements to perfume bottles and decorative arts, vases, radiator caps, statuettes... The Lalique crystal, in other words the Lalique creation since 1945, is also honored. A touch table allows to discover the different stages of the manufacture of the Bacchantes vase.
Created at the same time as the museum, the gardens are part of the tour and form a green setting. Available in three different worlds (mineral for the forecourt, floral for the interior space and wooded for the green roof above the permanent collections), the gardens pay tribute to the nature that inspired Lalique in his creations.
A historical figure, René Lalique (1860-1945) is one of the greatest of his time, whether as a jeweler or master glassmaker. It marks the periods of Art Nouveau and Art Deco by its unique and recognizable style.
The entire site of Hochberg, classified as a Historic Monument, retains the traces of the glass activity including master houses and housing workers in continuous band along the street Teutsch.
The glassmakers' trail and its twelve steps trace the history of this former glassworks site.
