Around the World: Part Sixteen

In which I visited the World of Crystals

14.05.2019: Tour Day 8, Country 7, City 1

It was time to say goodbye to the Swiss land and move ahead in our journey. I packed my bag and checked out the room. Today the breakfast area was spacious. I joined Shilpa & Shilpa for the breakfast. Again, today I had muffins and apple. The weather was cold; we could feel it on our way to the bus. We were heading to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. The snow-clad mountain peaks continued to accompany us. We landed in the Alpine Country at 9am. We were ahead of schedule for our Tram, so the time was spent in Shopping and visit to the washroom. The only disadvantage of a Women Special Tour is that there is always a long queue for the washrooms.

We got into our Tram and set off for exploring the city. Liechtenstein is fourth smallest European country surrounded by Switzerland and Austria. Vaduz is situated along the Rhine River. The landmark monuments of this capital city include the Vaduz castle, Government building and Cathedral of St. Florin. The Tram dropped us at Schlossle Mahal restaurant, Fürst-Franz-Josef-Strasse at noon for lunch. Post lunch we relished a cup ice-cream. Now we were heading towards the next country.

14.05.2019: Tour Day 8, Country 8, City 1

Post lunch we travelled to the next country, Austria. I had heard of it but never thought that I would fall in love with Austria more than Switzerland; more on it in next blog. We reached the city of Wattens in the state of Tyrol, Austria. The city is most famous for its Swarovski Crystal Museum. We headed towards the museum and reached the venue at 3pm. We got our coupons from Akhilesh.

Kristallwelten Swarovski

The realm of the Giant hosts a rich collection of precious items housed in 17 Chambers of Wonder. We stepped through the head of the Giant (the face covered in green blanket of grass) to the Swarovski Crystal World.

The Blue Hall

It is the first chamber, resembling a cave, painted in a shade of blue. It displays masterpieces such as the black stallion Chetak (which belonged to Maharana Pratap) decked in jewelry, Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Time, Niki de Saint Phalle’s Crystal-bearing Nana, and Andy Warhol’s Gems. Wall hanging crystal lamps had words carved on those.

Mechanical Theatre

It demonstrates the machine-driven world of Jim Whiting.

Crystal Dome

It is a geodesic dome; it designates the shortest path between two points on a curved surface. It consists of 595 mirrors that create a special depth 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. If you look carefully through the mirrors, at some point the objects are visible.

Silent Light

There is a spectacularly sparkling crystal tree at the center. Its 150,000 sparkling Swarovski crystals evoke images of a bone-chilling cold and yet heartwarmingly romantic winter wonderland. For me it was no less than the Frozen Experience.

Into the Lattice Sun

Countless crystals and mirrors give the spatial illusion. The deeply symbolic bridge that leads us through this fascinating landscape of crystal and mirrors intensifies the visitor’s spatial experience.

Ready to Love

The hearts in this room are crafted with various traditional Indian techniques. They express an emotion that we all can relate to and a vision that will make us smile. The room structure is a sort of Indian Palace, with a stairway with each step having a love quote.

Ice Passage

This is an empty passage; as you place your foot on the floor, a series of crystalline tracks start to appear. The lights also trace these tracks, allowing the viewer to get sporadic glances into the surrounding world of glistening ice. The experience is as if you were actually on a frozen surface, with each step causing small fissures in the ice.

Transparent Opacity

The contradictory aspects of crystal: its transparency and its impenetrability are showcased.

Emotional Formation

Stepping into this space is like a journey of exploring previously undiscovered treasures of your future self. Each one of the six crystal structures is unique.

Chandelier of Grief

The central element is a rotating chandelier of Swarovski crystal, whose luster comes to life in a room that is completely lined with mirrors. The room creates the illusion of being in an endless space. It’s the Infinity Mirror Room.

Studio Job Wunderkammer

The central structure resembles the modern civilization and technology. There is a clock tower and a train passing through tunnels and bridges.

La Primadonna Assoluta

A giant natural mountain crystal from Madagascar, impressive in its archaic grandeur, provided the counterpoint to the man-made art form of music and voice.

Eden

This is a fantasy forest. At its entrance, a waterfall, filmed in the surrounding Alps, cascades down a screen and is reflected by the walls. 

Famos

Four architectural landmarks are on display in a crystalline dimension: the Taj Mahal, the Pyramid of Giza, the New York Empire State Building, and the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow.

55 Million Crystals

It is combination of hand-painted picture components.

Heroes of Peace

Heroes speak to visitors, offer inspiration, and share the wisdom they have learned from their lives. It includes Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Nelson Mandela and many others.

El Sol

This large structure is exactly one billion times smaller than the sun itself. At the heart of the artwork is a sphere of LEDs, whose light is split by the inner facets of the precisely cut crystals in such a way that it creates a dynamic surface reminiscent of the sun.

Timeless

It tells the history of Swarovski and crystal in all of its historical facets.

Swarovski Crystal World Store

There was a wide range of accessories, jewelry, souvenirs, etc to shop. There was also a café at the end of the store. We had a cup of coffee outside the Giant and headed towards the next city of Austria.

Read next: Around the World: Part Seventeen