History

rwin Perzy I was a surgical instrument mechanic and inventor. While searching for a form of cold light, he experimented with a Schusterkugel (shoemaker’s glass) to enhance the light output of the newly invented carbon-filament light bulb. This shoemaker’s glass was a glass sphere with a tubular end, filled with water, and therefore acted like a magnifying glass.

Erwin Perzy I added various substances to the water to reflect the light. Among them was semolina, which slowly sank to the bottom. This effect reminded him of falling snow. As he had already made a model of the Mariazell Basilica for a friend, he placed the church inside the glass sphere — and thus, the snow globe was born.

He called his invention “Glass Sphere with Snow Effect.” Another of his well-known inventions was the Viennese New Year’s Lead Pouring (Vienna New Year’s Casting). Inspired by the old tradition of lead pouring on New Year’s Eve, he searched for a low-melting alloy so that the metal could be melted even with a simple candle flame.

Based on these two ideas, our company was founded around the year 1900. A few years later, Erwin Perzy I was even honored by the Emperor for his work.

After World War II, Erwin Perzy II took over the company and began exporting to the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Erwin Perzy III successfully established our product on the Japanese market and laid the foundation for business relationships that have now existed for over 30 years.

In 2020, Sabine Perzy II took over the company. Today, we are proud to say that our snow globes are exported worldwide and are cherished by customers all around the globe.

As every snow globe is still handcrafted today, each one is as unique as a single snowflake ❄️