The Swarovski Museum in Innsbruck is an art installation with 18 rooms or chambers with stunning artefacts made of Swarovski crystals.
The facility is open to tourists around the year. It has open gardens with some amazing installations spread over 7.5 hectares of land.
Getting there
- Swarovski Crystal World is about 22 km away from Innsbruck
- There is a shuttle bus that starts every 20 to 30 minutes from the Main Train Station in Innsbruck that takes you directly to the facility. It goes through the scenic locales of the Alpine mountains to the town of Wattens near Innsbruck, where this facility is located.
- You will not have any problem locating the shuttle bus as it stops right in front of the entrance to the train station.
The bus is conspicuously painted in a bright green with a huge Giant Face as shown in the picture.
- If you have the Innsbruck Card, then this transport and a visit to the Swarovski centre are included in it. There is ample parking space around the facility for self-driven cars.
- Audio guides are available at the reception counter for an additional 2 euros.
What to expect
- The entrance to the glittering world of crystals starts at the head of the giant. As you enter the premises, you will enter the Blue Hall.
- Once inside, there is a beautiful display of many artworks made out of crystal. What caught my attention was the statue of Chetak, the legendary horse ridden by the Indian king Maharana Pratap. The stunning piece of art is heavily embellished with crystals.
There is also a shimmering crystal wall with thousands of crystals on it.
- You will be led through a series of rooms called Chambers of Wonder, one room leading to another.
There are 18 such rooms, each one depicting a different facet of crystals. There are artworks decorated with crystals in dainty designs and patterns.
There is an ice cave with crystal decorations, complete with snowflakes and some very delicate artwork. You are allowed to stay for about 2 to 3 minutes in the cave.
- There is a hall of mirrors with two beautiful crowns that get reflected all over to create a dazzling effect although the name of this hall eludes me.
- Then you will be led to Hollywood, a hall filled with dresses and costumes, heavily embellished with Swarovski crystals that many celebrities have worn at various functions. There are many other glittering accessories like a glass shoe, glasses and bags used by many celebrities over the years. Beautiful chandeliers adorn the ceiling.
- In the adjoining room is a very impressive replica made out of crystals of many famous landmarks of the world like the Big Ben of London, the Statue of Liberty and so on.
- More rooms follow with stunning pieces of art. The section Ready to Love is a riot of colour and music.
- The 'Chandelier of Grief' in one of the rooms is very eye-catching. The chandelier casts a thousand luminous shadows on the floor and the ceiling in an enclosed space that looks quite ethereal.
- The last section of the tour leads to the Kristallwelten Store selling jewellery, watches and other artefacts made of crystal.
- At the end of the exhibition area, is a huge beautiful colourful globe made of crystals. Perfect for a photo opportunity. There is a nice cafe serving snacks and beverages.
- As you step outside into the gardens, you will be mesmerised by the sparkling crystal cloud. This art piece has over 800,000 Swarovski crystals mounted on it.
Adjacent to the crystal cloud is a mirror pool. The shimmering crystal clouds cast their shadow on the water in the pool and create a stunning visual effect.
- The gardens are massive, they are spread over 7.5 hectares of land and have intriguing art installations everywhere you see.
- If you are travelling with kids, then there is a Play Tower for them. At 20 m, it's considered to be the highest indoor playground in the world. There is a maze and a carousel too, to keep your kids occupied.
My Tip -
The museum is artistic, with its artworks embellished with thousands of crystals. The entire facility is well-organised, clean and tourist-friendly.
On the flip side, I would say that I had expected to see something different. I was hoping to see the making of crystals and how they are cut and polished to such perfection.
Something more informative, along the lines of porcelain factories that we have seen in Meissen, Germany or the glass factories of Murano, Italy.
After having seen the jaw-dropping artworks of the Austrian museums in all the days preceding this visit, I can't help but say that this museum looks too commercialised. And you certainly do not need the audio guide.
Calling this place a museum is misplaced, it should ideally be called Swarovski Entertainment Arena or something like that. It's like a family entertainment park with a display of crystals and lots of fun stuff for everyone.
However, as a tourist, none of us would want to miss out on this attraction. So, go for it but have realistic expectations.
And if you're interested in getting some practical, hands-on travel tips, click here
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