Chances are you have heard of the Swarovski brand before. There is hardly a luxury event these days that doesn’t involve some of the companie’s famed crystals. A short bus ride to the east of Innsbruck is the Swarovski factory, and next to it the Kristallwelten, a museum shaped like a giant and surrounded by a large garden, that turns the crystals into an amazing (and very Instagram-able) visual experience.
The Kristallwelten were designed back in 1995 by mixed media artist Andre Heller to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Swarovski. He came up with the building in the shape of the iconic Giant’s head and the supporting tale of how the giant traveled the world and collected his treasures before settling down in Wattens.
What continues to amaze me about Kristallwelten is that after visiting on a regular basis for the last 20 years, there is still always something new for me to discover. This place constantly evolves, keeping the best and adding even better stuff. For example, just this February(2019) I marbled at the new work “Chandelier of Grief” by Yayoi Kusama (pictured above) and this summer I fell in love with the gorgeous black-white-gold carousel by Jaime Hayon.
From the ticket desk you can already spy the giant’s head with its sparkly crystal eyes and a waterfall pouring out of its mouth. It’s through this mouth, and behind the waterfall, that you enter the indoor part of the exhibition. The space is organised into a series of ‘Wunderkammern’, each designed by a different artist (lots of detail on each Wunderkammer and some teaser pictures on the Kristallwelten website) . Our favorite spaces are as follows:
- Mechanical Theatre by Jim Whiting is the toddlers favorite. He loves standing in the dark watching the trousers and shirts come alive and start to dance.
- Kristalldome is the heart of the exhibition and such a stunning audio-visual experience (see picture below)
- Keep your toddlers close when checking out Eden. The mix of poles and mirrors can get very disorienting and my Toddler ended up with a series of bruises from bumping into poles.
- Into Latice Sun by Lee Bull is one of the most spectacular showcases I have seen of Lee Bull’s work. The walls being covered by mirrors blurs the boundaries between the art and the visitor.
Once you are finished with the indoor bit another world of wonder and play awaits outside. The garden has really come a far way over the last couple years, making a visit to Kristallwelten a whole day affair.
First up there is the impressive installation Crystal Cloud by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot that floats above the Mirror Pond. A path allows you to descend into the center of the pool to enjoy a spectacle of dancing lights and water dipping swallows. During the summer of 2019 there was a special circus theme and a tightrope walker added a whole other element of spectacle, balancing (and riding a bike) high above the crystal clouds.
Around the crystal cloud installation are a bunch of grass mounds that are brilliant for running up and down. Conveniently there are also various artsy chairs and loungers for parents to chill while the kids do their running. If your kids prefer a playgrounds, there is plenty of that on offer too.
The play tower, a 3 story structure with a 15m high spider web to climb (I was terrified doing this!) and various other gorgeous play structures, is officially only open from 4 years old, but if it isn’t busy and you ask nicely they usually allow toddlers a glimpse inside as well. For those with older and younger kids to entertain there is a small soft play/book corner area for keeping under 4s busy while older siblings go explore the Tower.
To enjoy the ball runs grab yourself a wooden ball from the vending machine and get playing. Some areas of the roof area with the ball runs are quite steep and there are some sharp drops, so do keep an eye on the younger toddlers.
Another toddler favorite is the water play area that has a whole bit full of bowls and pans that can be pushed around in order to pour water from one container into another as well as some bigger machines to manipulate water up and down.
The climbing parcour was still a bit to ambitious for the Toddler at 2.5 years old, but it does look amazing for older kids. He did very much enjoy the large sand play area and the baby swings and hammock right next to it.
There is also a maze in the shape of a hand which the Toddler got really into now that he is 2.5 years old. Luckily he is still more into dragging his grandma through it then running from her and hiding, or we might have had a problem.
My family quite enjoys lunch at Restaurant Daniel which looks out over the garden and Kristallwolke so we tend to break for lunch there. It does get very busy for lunch so make sure to book ahead if you want to ensure there is space.
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