Swarovski Crystal Worlds
Crystals, art, and surprising experiences

To mark Swarovski’s 100th anniversary, the founding family commissioned artist André Heller to design a world of experiences that would go far beyond a traditional museum. Heller brought a visionary idea to life: a walk-in fantasy realm where art and technology merge in unexpected ways.

At its centre stands a 17-metre-high giant – Heller’s guiding figure and now the iconic guardian of the Chambers of Wonder. This mythical figure, invented by Heller, once travelled the world to collect treasures of knowledge and art. He eventually settled in Wattens, where he now protects his collection in underground chambers – a symbol of curiosity, imagination and the joy of beauty. Heller drew inspiration from the historical Chamber of Art and Wonders at Ambras Castle near Innsbruck. In the 16th century, Archduke Ferdinand II – a Habsburg known for his passion for collecting – created a unique collection there, now considered the world’s first museum. The Ambras chamber brought together the exotic, the precious, the scientific and the strange – from natural wonders to mechanical devices and intricate woodwork – a mirror of the world in all its diversity, curiosity and splendour.

Heller reinterprets this Renaissance concept. The Chambers of Wonder become stages for international artists such as Salvador Dalí, Yayoi Kusama and Brian Eno. At times poetic, at times whimsical – but always surprising – they transform crystal into a living medium.

Visitors encounter not only Swarovski crystals, but also a unique attitude toward art and nature. Swarovski Crystal Worlds is a place where Daniel Swarovski’s founding vision comes to life: crystal not just as a material, but as a spark for creative expression. Here, Tirolean rootedness meets international avant-garde.