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By ESTHER MARSHALL Published: 14:38 BST, 24 March 2025 | Updated: 20:05 BST, 24 March 2025
This museum is quite literally a hidden gem. Kristallwelten Wattens, a Swarovski crystal-themed museum, is concealed beneath a hulking greenery-covered giant in the Austrian mountains.Created to mark Swarovski’s 100 year anniversary, the museum describes itself as a ‘unique destination, celebrating the brilliance and fascination of Swarovski crystals’. Tourists enter the museum via the crouching giant’s head and will find a world of crystal-themed exhibits inside.Lonely Planet says: ‘Swarovski crystals sparkle in all their glory at the fantasy fairytale Kristallwelten.‘A giant’s head spewing water into a pond greets you in the park, where you will also find the attention-grabbing crystal cloud, embellished with 800,000 crystals and drifting above a mirrorlike pool and a crystalline-themed playground, tower and labyrinth for kids.’Inside of the giant, tourists can explore a range of themed exhibits. The wintery ‘Silent Light’ exhibit has a crystal tree which was designed by Alexander McQueen. Visitors are warned that temperatures inside the exhibit can fall to as low as -10 degrees celsius.Meanwhile, ‘The Art of Performance’ room ‘celebrates Swarovski’s long standing relationship with Hollywood’s top entertainers and creatives’. Kristallwelten Wattens, a Swarovski crystal-themed museum, is concealed beneath a hulking greenery-covered giant in the Austrian mountains The Crystal Cloud (pictured above) is ’embellished with 800,000 crystals’ above a ‘mirrorlike pool’ Outside there’s a crystal-themed carousel with a backdrop of the surrounding Tyrol mountains (pictured above)Tourists will find original Swarovski encrusted outfits worn by Elton John and Lady Gaga and a leotard owned by Olympic gold-medallist Simone Biles.Other exhibits include a mirror installation by the celebrated Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, and a representation of the sun made out of Swarovski crystals.Outside there’s a crystal-themed carousel with a backdrop of the surrounding Tyrol mountains. Reviewer ‘Cheryl H’ wrote on Tripadvisor: ‘I really loved this unique experience. The crystals, light and artwork are beautiful.’‘MinervaM’ wrote: ‘It was an amazing and fun experience. My husband and I had a lot of fun and took great pictures inside and outside of the building.’Kristallwelten Wattens is located about a half hour drive from Innsbruck and there’s a shuttle bus to the museum from the city five times a day.Tickets cost €24 (£20) if purchased online and €26(£21) on the door for adults. It costs €7 (£5.85) both on and offline for children. LEFT: ‘The Art of Performance’ room ‘celebrates Swarovski’s long standing relationship with Hollywood’s top entertainers and creatives. RIGHT: The ‘Silent Light’ exhibit has a crystal tree, designed by Alexander McQueen Kristallwelten Wattens pictured in the winter time. One review says: ‘The crystals, light and artwork are beautiful’
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Inside the quirky crystal-themed museum that’s a ‘fantasy fairytale’ in the mountains
