Close-up of several snow globes, one in focus featuring a Santa Claus figure with white snow

The Viennese Snow Globe
The world-renowned souvenir from the Original Viennese Snow Globe Manufactory.

The snow globes are handcrafted in Austria at the Original Viennese Snow Globe Manufactory. Here’s everything you need to know about these iconic keepsakes.

Give it a shake and watch as magical snow gently drifts over the charming scenes inside. A delightful keepsake and world-famous memento, these classic snow globes are made of glass - not plastic! While many recognise them, few know their origins: These beloved souvenirs come from Austria, specifically Vienna, where the Perzy family has been handcrafting them at the Original Viennese Snow Globe Factory. Since each one is still made by hand, every snow globe is as unique as a snowflake.

Snowfall on demand

The charming "accidental" invention from Vienna

Erwin Perzy III takes pride in the fact that his family’s snow globes are now copied millions of times around the world. The very first snow globe was invented by his grandfather, which is why Perzy’s workshop has been called the "Original Wiener Schneekugelmanufaktur" since 1905.

At the time, Erwin Perzy I was actually working on a lamp for operating theatres, filling glass spheres with water and illuminating them with a light bulb. To increase light reflection, he first added glass shavings and then semolina. As it swirled through the water, it resembled drifting snow. The operating lamp never materialised, but instead, an ingenious business idea was born.

Original Wiener Schneekugelmanufaktur

Did you know that ..

... snow globes have been around for more than 120 years?

There's a great deal of enthusiasm, especially in Japan and the US - two markets that Erwin Perzy II entered in the years following WWII.

... the snow globe made it all the way to Hollywood?

In the 1940s, Orson Welles integrated the snow globe into the film "Citizen Kane".

... the manufactory museum showcases hundreds of motifs?

Buildings, food, animals, snowmen and, of course, angels, Santas and Christmas trees. Guided tours are also available.

... snow is often linked to childhood memories?

For many people, falling snow is one of the familiar images of winter and Christmas.

... the "snow" in the snow globe is a secret?

The snow flurry hasn't been made of semolina for years. Erwin Perzy III prefers to keep the current ingredients a secret - it's a trade secret!

... snow globes are filled with Vienna's mountain water?

Vienna's mountain spring water comes straight from the mountains. Many of the figures are still made using traditional injection moulding, while 3D printers now supplement production.

The top 5 most popular Viennese snow globes

1. The Christmas Tree

2. The Snowman

3. St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

4. Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel

5. The Penguin

For everyone who loves snow, christmas and advent

Tradition, craftsmanship, customs

What gets passed down from generation to generation

Many Austrian customs depend on people keeping them alive together and passing on what they know. At Almabtrieb celebrations, when the cattle are brought down from the high pastures, at regional festivals and in traditional crafts, inherited routines, skills and techniques are still practised today. Materials and working methods closely tied to a particular region play their part as well. Whether it is raising the maypole or the customs around Easter and Christmas: much of it comes about through preparing and taking part together.

UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage puts inherited knowledge, rituals, customs and craft techniques centre stage. They are handed down from one generation to the next and brought to life afresh each time. Experience Austrian culture where it actually happens – among the people who keep these traditions going.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage