Edwin Perzy I, a man with visions of schneekugeln.
Did you know that snow globes were invented in Vienna?
In 1900, Edwin Perzy, a surgical instruments manufacturer, was trying to use a glass globe to project light. He filled the globe with water, and then tried adding glass powder to increase the refraction. Instead, he got a snowy effect.
From this experiment, he somehow got the idea of putting a tiny model of his local church, the Mariazeller Kirche, in a globe, with rice powder for snow. And soon after, opened up a business making the schneekugeln, literally ”snow balls,” for sale. The same little factory is now owned by Edwin’s grandson, who conducted a tour of the place for a group from the American Women’s Association.
I am not actually that into snow globes. I mean, they are nice and all, but I mostly enjoy these tours because Austrians are so proud of their handiwork, whatever that might be. It seems to be a national characteristic. From guns, to snow globes, to waste management, it’s not about the money (or at least not all about the money!) It’s all about the care put into the process, and the quality of the product. This is refreshing.
The Vienna Snow Globe Factory and Museum is a nondescript building at the end of the 42 tram line. The museum consists of a couple of rooms filled with various memorabilia from the factory’s history. If you arrange for a tour, you can see the die-making machinery in the back. There is a nice gift shop, to which the women’s group laid siege and departed with considerable booty. The snow globes sell for 6 Euros and up, which, for Vienna, is not expensive. I bought a couple of them as souvenirs.
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- The factory and museum.
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- I love museums that look like attics.
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- Some old wood and ceramic snow globe stands. Nowadays, they are mostly plastic.
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- They have been making snow globes with the Prater Riesenrad in them for years.
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- You name it, they will put it in a snow globe for you.
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- Penguins!
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- I really cannot explain this display.
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- Promotional vodka snow globes.
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- A wall of mysterious snow globe making stuff.
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- I think these are some of the old figures that they put in the globes. They used to be metal and ceramic, now they are plastic, of course. But they are still hand-painted.
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- Metal dies used to stamp the little figures into molds from which the final product is made.
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- They also make the little plastic good luck charms that Austrians give each other at New Year’s.
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- A gnome, naturally. No, I didn’t buy it. This time.
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- Pretty Christmas globes.
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- More Christmas globes, with a side order of creches.
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- Krampus and St. Nikolas, der Weinachtsmann. These came home with me.
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- Pastry snow globes.
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- Teen-weeny snow globes.
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- And there you have it.
Do the Vodka Snow Globes have vodka in them? How about the pastry Snow Globes? Just wondering. Call me Troll today.
Such a cute tour!
flakey!
Enjoyed the Snow Globe tour a lot! I am very fond of them, as you know, and have a really nice one that I think came from Austria, though I’m not absolutely sure!
Snow globes have a special place in my heart. My mother loves and collects them. Her prized treasure was one that I was able to get her when I worked for a local television station. It was a promo item of Arsenio Hall in a santa cap to promote the Arsenio Hall Show. Snow globe obviously lasted longer than the talk show did.