Originally created by Andre Heller as a gift to employees, collectors, customers and partners in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Swarovski in 1995, Swarovski Crystal Worlds is a tourist attraction visited by thousands of people from all over the world every day. It's located in the small town of Wattens, just outside Innsbruck. Andre Heller based the design of the Crystal World on the chamber of wonders in Ambras Castle - that's the big room of bizarre and unique treasures that Archduke Ferdinand collected from all over the world. The "Ruler" of this magical realm is the Giant, an archaic figure straight from Tyrollean mythology. The Literature Wall features words from authors like Shakespeare, Novalis and Goethe. The word "crystal" plays a part in each, which are displayed in Italian, German, Spanish, French and English. Next is the Centenary, the world's largest ever manufactured crystal. It weighs a massive 300000 carats, has a diameter of 40 cm and features 100 hand-polished facets to symbolize a century of Swarovski. The Crystal Wall is the longest of its kind in the world. Millions of precision-cut crystals sparkle from behind the 11 by 42 meter long transparent wall. A jeweled Black Stallion is a replica of a valuable jewel commissioned by an Indian Maharajah as a tribute to his favorite horse. Later we encounter a bizarre mechanical theater is the creation of Jim Whiting, a famed Paris artist. It portrays a surrealistic fashion show in which ...
Tags: Andre Heller, travel, Austria, Innsbruck, Swarovski, Kristallwelten, crystal, Centenary, Jim Whiting, Crystaloscope, Susanne Schmogner, Paul Seide, glass
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