Existing comment:
Austria
Made by J&L Lobmeyr factory, Vienna, Austria
The Lobmeyer Crystal chandelier has 12,000 crystals, more than 130 crystal bursts, and almost 2,000 light bulbs. Every two to three years a truck is driven on to the stage of the Opera House and a fearless stagehand is lifted by a cherry picker, up to the chandelier. Burnt out light bulbs are changed and clusters of crystals are brought down to be cleaned and polished, a job that takes three to four days.
The J&L Lobmeyr factory was founded in 1823. After gaining a reputation for the quality of their designs, the company was designated the official purveyor of crystal to the Imperial Court under Franz Joseph I. In 1883, the company manufactured the world's first electric chandelier.
In the late 1960s, the company expanded establishing overseas markets in Japan and the Middle East. J & L Lobmeyr has served clients ranging from the Hapsburgs to the New York Metropolitan Opera, and continues to be one of the most internationally renowned manufacturers of chandeliers and other glass works. |