Wattens, Austria

Wattens is a small market town in the Tyrolean Inn valley, about twenty kilometres east of Innsbruck. The Swarovski crystal company was founded here in 1895 and the town has been the group's headquarters ever since; the original cutting works still occupy a large complex on the southern bank of the Inn. Swarovski Kristallwelten — the visitor park opened in 1995 for the company's centenary, with Chambers of Wonder designed by André Heller and a contemporary outdoor sculpture park behind the giant grass-covered Giant figure that buries the entrance — is one of Austria's most visited paid attractions outside Vienna and the prime reason most travellers stop. The surrounding Tuxer and Karwendel ranges open onto easy day-walking, and Innsbruck and the Stubai Glacier are each thirty minutes away.