For about a hundred years, the legendary balls with snow have been known as an indispensable attribute of the New Year and Christmas: there are balls in almost every family, they are loved, admired, given to loved ones. Today, balls of snow give unforgettable emotions, returning people to their childhood - a time when such accessories began to appear in most homes. Balls with snow create the feeling of a fairy tale and give joy to everyone, children and adults. While in Vienna, visit a workshop where these legendary products have been created for almost a hundred years!
History and features of the factory
The Vienna Snow Ball Factory is a family business owned today by the grandson of the factory founder and creator of the first ball. It was in the early 1920s, when the grandfather of the current owner of the factory, Irvine, made medical bulbs, using a flask with water and glass chips for work: then he saw how beautiful it was. This was the moment that changed his life - the master left the production of light bulbs and began to create snow balls.
Irwin says: "Glass chips fell very quickly, and grandfather began to use another material - semolina, which was perfectly kept in water." After that, the material used as “snow” has changed:what they are made of now is a secret. Today, balls are almost completely created in this factory, only thin glass is ordered.
Assortment of balls
There are a museum and a shop on the territory of the small factory. Visitors will see balls with different plots:
- Classic: with figures of the town hall, St. Stephen's Cathedral, ferris wheel
- Symbols of happiness: clover leaf, ladybugs
- Winter: with skiers, snowmen, Santa Claus
- Cartoon - with action figures of popular cartoon characters
- Animals and other figures: cats, dogs, bears.
You can order individual production of a ball with a figure according to your desire - it can be any image (your portrait, any movie character).
The cost of standard balls with diameters of 45 millimeters is 9 €, medium and large, respectively, cost 15 € and 23 €. There are also small sizes of balls that you can take with you everywhere: they cost 6 €. Custom work can reach 200 €: it depends on the size, complexity and exclusivity of the plot of the figure.
You can buy special balls at the factory: for example, created for the occasion of the inauguration of US President Clinton, where confetti from the event is used instead of snow.
Interesting Facts
- All figures are created manually.
- The range of plots of balls is constantly expanding.
- The owner of the factory can personally conduct a tour of the museum.
