Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Austria: The world's most dazzling attraction

By Brian Johnston
April 23 2016 - 12:15am
Fun theme: The green giant that conceals the entrance to Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
Fun theme: The green giant that conceals the entrance to Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
The Crystal Dome at Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Krause, Johansen
The Crystal Dome at Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Krause, Johansen
The Mechanical Theatre display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
The Mechanical Theatre display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
The Crystal Forest display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds, with its giant crystal jellyfish. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds
The Crystal Forest display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds, with its giant crystal jellyfish. Photo: Swarovski Crystal Worlds

You could wrack your brains for many hours over the question of what a giant jellyfish, several skulls, a 1963 Shirley Bassey dress, Lenin's tomb and some old bits of curtain from the Academy Awards have in common. Of course, once you've been through Swarovski Crystal Worlds in the steps of 12 million other visitors, it all becomes obvious – at least in some respects. It also remains confusing, although that's contemporary art and marketing for you. My point is this, however: a wander through Swarovski Crystal Worlds makes you feel as if you've blundered into some enchanted kingdom that might also be from another dimension. It's weird and wonderful, bringing together the most unexpected things, only half of which you'll understand. But isn't that what any travel is all about?

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