Swarovski Kristallwelten

The Giant at entrance to Swarovski Crystal Worlds

Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) is an experience attraction created by André Heller for the crystal glass manufacturer Swarovski, consisting of a park, art museum, retail area, and restaurant. It opened in 1995 and is located in the Austrian Tyrol, in the town of Wattens, Innsbruck-Land District, where the company was founded and still has its headquarters today. Kristallwelten, together with the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store in Innsbruck and Vienna, form D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH.^[1]

History[]

The Swarovski company was founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895. One century later, multimedia artist Andre Heller was commissioned to design the museum with fourteen chambers of wonder in the form of a giant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of D. Swarovski KG. After the initial opening in 1995, further expansion and renovation projects followed in 1998, 2003, and 2007.^[2]

Expansion in 2014/15[]

In October 2014, the renovation and expansion of Swarovski Kristallwelten began, at a cost of around 34 million euros, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Swarovski company, and the 20th anniversary of Swarovski Kristallwelten itself. It reopened on April 30, 2015. The overall area of the attraction was extended from 3.5 hectares to 7.5 hectares. New features added to the garden during this expansion included the "Crystal Cloud" made up of 800,000 crystals, a playtower, and the restaurant, Daniels Kristallwelten.^[3]

Chambers of Wonder[]

Inside the Giant there are exhibition spaces, based on the concept of the historic chambers of art and curiosities favored by aristocratic families in the 16th century. In the Chambers of Wonder at Swarovski Kristallwelten, internationally and nationally recognized artists, designers, and architects, such as Brian Eno, Tord Boontje, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jim Whiting, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, and Yayoi Kusama, have interpreted crystal in their own ways. 17 show rooms were created, each of which has a different thematic focus.^[4]

Crystal Dome
Ice Passage
Into Lattice Sun
Eden
Swarovski Store

Attractions[]

17 underground Chambers of Wonder^[5]
One of the largest Swarovski Stores in the world
garden landscape
Crystal Cloud with 800,000 hand-mounted crystals
Playtower and open-air playground
Carousel ^[6]
Daniels Kristallwelten restaurant

Events[]

In 2019, "Music in the Giant" – a festival of chamber music under the artistic direction of Thomas Larcher – took place for the 15th time. Other events include family days, workshops for children and young people, and culinary events.

Visitors[]

In 2011, Swarovski Kristallwelten was ranked eighth amongst the most popular tourist attractions in Austria, with 680,000 visitors, ahead of locations such as the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg, and the Albertina art gallery in Vienna. Analyzed by country of origin, in 2009 the majority of visitors came from Germany (26%), followed by Austria (13%), Italy (11%), India (8%), and China (5%). ^[7] In 2019, the total number of visitors to Swarovski Kristallwelten reached 15 million.^[8]