KRISTALLWELTEN SWAROVSKI
Located in Wattens, near Innsbruck, Swarovski opened the Kristallwelten in 1995 to conmemorate their 100th anniversary.
Swarovski Crystals
Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs and manufacture high-quality crystals and gemstones for lighting, jewellery and accessories. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members with 2800 stores in 170 countries.
The garden
Art in the garden. Swarovski Crystal Worlds was opened in 1995 to mark tribute to the centennial anniversary of the company’s founding. This beloved attraction has brought moments of wonder and delight to over 15 million visitors from all around the world.
Multimedia artist André Heller create a world of wonder to celebrate Swarovski’s 100th anniversary in 1995.
The Giant
Multimedia artist André Heller created a world of wonder to celebrate Swarovski’s hundredth anniversary in 1995. Heller’s thematic artpiece for Swarovski Crystal Worlds is the shape of a Giant. A Giant set out to experience the treasures and wonders. This is the park’s main attraction all contained within a green hill.
The realm of the Giant hosts a rich collection of precious items housed in 17 Chambers of Wonder. It’s a world of fantasy where you believe in miracles for just a moment.
The chambers to visit are: Blue Hall, Mechanical Theatre, Crystal Dome, Silent Light, Into Lattice Sun, Read to Love, Ice Passage, Transparent Opacit, Chandelier of Grief, Studio Job Wunderkammer, La Primadonna Assoluta, Eden, FAMOS, 55 Million Crystals, Heroes of Peace, El Sol and Timless.
Inside the 17 Chambers of Wonder you will encounter yourself into a world of fantasy and a life of sparkle and delight in these mythical rooms. One of my favourites was the Dome. The Crystal Dome was modeled after Sir Richard Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome. Geodesy is the scentific discipline devoted to geographical measurement and representation of the Earth. In mathematics, it designates the shortest path between two points on a curved surface.
The dome of the Crystal Dome consists of 595 mirrows that create a special effect and give the viewer the feeling of being inside a crystal. Eight of the mirrors are so-called “spy-mirrors” that conceal fascinating art objects by various artists.
The Dome
Because of its spectacular backdrop, the Crystal Dome is a popular venue for weddings. An enchanted space with brillance and dazzle.
Out of the precious items housed in the 17 Chambers of Wonder, visitors never miss the sun.
El ‘Sol’ is Spanish for the ‘Sun’.
Fernando Romero‘s installation, formed from 2,800 custom-made Swarovski crystals, is an exploration of humankind’s relationship with the sun. This large structure is exactly one billion times smallers than the sun itself.
El Sol
The inspiration for El Sol was the remarkable geometry of the pyramids built by the Aztec and Mayan people.
Artists at the Swarovski Crystal Worlds
International and national recognized artists, designers and architects have interpreted crystal in their own unique ways. They create concepts of space and experience from the sparkling materials.
The artist unfolding the steps through the head of the Giant into Swarovski Crystal Worlds are…Yayoi Kusama, Jim Whiting, Tord Boontje, Lee Bul, Susanne Bisovsk, Manish Arora, Oliver Irschitz, Arik Lev, Studio Job, Fredikson Stallard, Blue Noses, Brian Eno, André Heller, Fernando Romero, Keith Haring, Niki de Saint Phalle, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, John Brekke, HG Merz and Simon Costin.
Visitors are surprised, touched and transformed by crystals and wonder. Either the sparkling chambers or the garden, this museum and theme park is like something out of a fairy tale. Anyone with a love for fantasy and fascinated by Tirol, would love this hiding gem of the verdant hills of Wattens.
The Crystal Cloud
Crystal Cloud & Mirrow Pool
More than 800,000 hand-mounted crystals.
Visitors are invited to pause for a moment and feel inspired.
This monumental installation drifts above the black Mirror Pool. Created by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot, the Crystal Cloud and Mirror Pool is the crowning piece of the garden.
The numerous fireflies create magic light. The crystals’ light is captured like stars shimmering in the best hours of sunset or even in broad daylight.
Chandelier of Grief
Within the realm of the iconic Giant, artist Yayoi Kusama‘s chandelier chamber represents a unique permanent ‘Infinity Mirrow Room’ in the world.
Entitled ‘Chandelier of Grief‘ this installation created by Kusama who is one the most popular contemporary artists in the world and famous for her mirrow installations. In a room completely lined with mirrors, the central element is a rotating chandelier of Swarovski crystal.
www.swarovski.com
Photos by Jeannette Johanssen and Swarovski.