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In the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants.  Reed, sunset and the Baltic Sea in Zingst, GermanyIn the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants.  Reed, sunset and the Baltic Sea in Zingst, GermanyIn the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants.  Reed, sunset and the Baltic Sea in Zingst, Germany

Essential for all life on earth

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS LIGHT

In the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants

Mystery of light

On the trail of a phenomenon


Many impressive and spectacular aspects of the “mystery of light” are revealed in nature: sunsets, the Northern Lights, rainbows, and mirages have always held us in their thrall. Wilhelm Swarovski was particularly fascinated by the light emitted by stars. Indeed, the amateur astronomer was so mesmerized that he felt the urge to design a telescope that would make stargazing even better. In this way he laid the foundations for the company that he established in 1949, a company that is now active all over the world: SWAROVSKI OPTIK.

This everyday yet mysterious phenomenon was even recognized by UNESCO when it made 2015 the International Year of Light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants, yet it is still a mysterious, uncharted phenomenon.
In the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants in Africa.

300 years ago

A little history


The first treatises on the phenomenon of light date back to Ancient Greece, and great philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato made detailed studies. The findings of the Greeks were subsequently built on by Arab scholars. With his Book of Optics, Ibn al-Haytham, also known as Alhazen, produced a treatise that was to remain the standard work on the subject for many hundreds of years. His conclusion was that vision involves rays of light entering the eye.

In the Renaissance, major milestones in optics were set by polymaths like Leonardo da Vinci (who invented a machine for grinding concave mirrors and lenses), Francesco Maurolico (the first person to identify the workings of the eye’s lens), and Giovanni Battista della Porta (who discovered that age-related long-sightedness and myopia can be corrected with lenses).

The telescope was an optical invention that literally expanded our horizons and significantly changed our view of the stars. The first experiments were carried out in Holland around 1600, when it was attempted to mount two lenses behind each other. Galileo Galilei heard about it and began grinding suitable lenses in his glass-blowing workshops in Venice. In 1609 he built his own telescope with 20x magnification, and immediately realized how useful it was for spotting enemy ships on the horizon. In December of the same year Galileo turned his telescope to the heavens for the very first time. The age of modern astronomy was born, and 300 years later it still held the same fascination for Wilhelm Swarovski.

Erich Hofer, Hunting in Hungary, Z8i, light landscape ID:1117111
Landscape with mountains and sun ID:1230592
Light as a metaphor for knowledge

It is not only in the natural sciences that light is an important research field, tool, and catalyst. It has also shaped the cultural development of human civilization. The humanities, cultural
studies, art, and religion – no other natural phenomenon has had such a dramatic effect on our understanding of being and consciousness. From a philosophical point of view, the history of mankind can also be seen as an everlasting battle against the darkness. Stories and pictures use light as a way of explaining good and evil.

In the beginning there was the light. Light is essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants

Swarovski optik’s view of light

LIGHT IS A RESEARCH FIELD, TOOL, AND CATALYST


Methods of manufacturing long-range optical equipment have steadily advanced. In our offices and factories, expert engineers and craftspeople design and produce devices in glass, metal, and plastic taming light. Still today, people are fascinated by light and optics.

Take everything you need for a one-day adventure and enjoy the fact that your wildlife viewing equipment is well stored and protected in the SWAROVSKI OPTIK backpack.

Swarovski Optik creates awareness of the beauty of the world

Clarity of vision


By striving for optical perfection and pushing the boundaries of the technically possible, we end up with products that achieve our aim of focusing the eye of the beholder on what really matters. Suddenly we see things that would otherwise have remained hidden. A premium optical device allows us to see what may otherwise have been invisible – it literally brings light to the darkness.

Increasing people’s awareness of the beauty in our world, encouraging them to observe nature, and capturing the whole spectacular spectrum of light: Welcome to the world of SWAROVSKI OPTIK!