In a world of crystal

Located just half an hour’s drive from Innsbruck in the small market town of Wattens, the Swarovski Kristallwelten – Swarovski Crystal Worlds – is one of Austria’s major tourist attractions, which over the 20 years since it opened, has attracted more than 12 million visitors. 

Perched on a hillock with the Tyrol Alps as the backdrop, the museum is hidden away in the Giant, a gigantic mask-like sculpture that’s home to several chambers of wonder. Here, internationally and nationally recognised artists, designers and architects have interpreted crystal in their own ways, creating concepts of space from the sparkling material.

The interior is dark, allowing the crystal to shine clearly, and the atmosphere is eerie, with crystals and signs to the next chamber all that can be made out with the naked eye. The museum is not for the claustrophobic, as once you’re in, no matter how much you fear the cramped and dark space, the only way out is to finish the tour. And that can take about 40 minutes if you rush or more than one hour if you linger to learn about the ideas behind each chamber.

Thanks to a clever and discreet lighting system, the sparkling is mesmerising and entering the first chamber is rather like walking into a room full of stars.

The next gallery brings to mind a pine tree shimmering in an icy wind, rather like in the animated blockbuster “Frozen”. The following room is home to marvellous trigonometric shapes and an extra-large chandelier.

In the room designed by renowned soprano Jessye Norman stands a giant natural mountain crystal from Madagascar. The artist challenges you to touch it and feel the warmth of the rock. 

The chamber I like the most is Eden. It echoes with the sound of a waterfall, while the visitors walk through a dense wilderness of polished brass structures. Seen through mirrored walls, the structures appear to stretch into infinity. And in the wilderness, you find a crystal.

The next room is equally mesmerising, with four architectural landmarks on display in a crystalline dimension – the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Pyramid of Cheops in Giza, the Empire State Building in New York and the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow. Notably, the Cheops Pyramid weighs 105 kilogrammes and the Empire State Building consists of 386 individual parts. The effect is however somewhat marred by the videos embedded inside the structures. The Russian artist duo, Blue Noses, might find the videos humorous, but they don’t fit the grandeur of the structures.

The adjacent exhibition area is home to hundreds of crystal items, everything from classy evening dresses, tiaras and shoes to bras.

And then you’re exposed to a white light, bright enough to blind you and more than adequate to inspect thousands of Swarovski items available in the shop area. It is here that you understand why this sparkling material is still inspiring buyers.

Daniel Swarovski, who founded the crystal-cutting company that bears his name in the small Tyrolean town of Wattens in 1895, had an unusual vision from the outset: He was the first to regard crystal not merely as a material, but an inspiration. And he was right. Although the brand is more than 100 years old, it keeps abreast of what is going on in the world. Among the products on sale are crystal mobile phone cases, earrings and headbands. Prices vary considerably but no matter how much or how little you pay, the items will be properly wrapped and put in Swarovski paper bags – making them perfect gifts.

The shop is huge. After more than an hour in the museum and shop, few visitors have the energy to walk to the Crystal Cloud, a monumental installation comprising some 800,000 hand-mounted Swarovski crystals. The Winner of the “Best of Year 2015” award from the US Interior Design Magazine, it is however well worth the effort. 

The installation was added in 2015, 20 years after the venue was first opened to mark the company’s centenary. 

 

Sparkling experience

< Admission is 19 euros (adults).

< Other rates apply for children, pensioners and groups. 

< Check it out at http://kristallwelten.swarovski.com/

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