Man with THOUSANDS of snow globes takes us on tour of his very own winter wonderland
Stepping into Josef Kardinal’s home in Nuremberg, Germany, is like stepping straight into a winter wonderland.
That’s because his home is filled with an incredible – and record-breaking - amount of snow globes.
Josef first claimed the record for largest collection of snow globes in 2002 when he had 6,100 of them.
And since then, his collection has almost doubled to 11,000 – yes you read that right, ELEVEN THOUSAND snow globes.
Inviting us into his home, Josef took Guinness World Records Adjudicator Emma Salt on a tour of his unique collection.
He even demonstrated how he refills his snow globes to keep them all looking their best and unboxed a brand new piece of his collection in front of us.
The dazzling addition was in the shape of the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express, and Josef looked very pleased to be adding it to his collection.
Josef began collecting in 1984 after he received a single snow globe as a gift.
Friends continued to buy them for him and one day, he realized that he could also just buy them himself.
So, as he travelled the world with his wife, he hunted down new and unique additions, saying she always knew they wouldn’t be able to relax until they found the perfect one to bring home.
His collection ranges from tiny snow globes like a pin you can attach to your clothing to gigantic ones like a lamppost that stands taller than he does.
Among the more unique pieces he possesses are one in the shape of a Coca-Cola telephone, one shaped like a sinking Titanic, and one shaped like a helicopter being flown by Santa Claus himself.
He has many globes depicting perfect festive scenes, ones dedicated to films like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, and even a snowman wearing a face mask commemorating the coronavirus lockdown with the words ‘Corona 2020’ inscribed on its base.
A lot of his globes are rare, limited-edition creations that a collector starting out today would struggle to get their hands on.
Read about more incredible record-breaking collections in our dedicated section.
When asked to explain why he his loves snow globes enough to collect 11,000 of them, he said, with Emma translating: “I love the romance of snow globes and how beautiful they are when you shake them up and the snow falls down.”
He added: “People love snow globes as they encapsulate a perfect world. Obviously one that is not realistic and that is why we gravitate towards them.”
The oldest snow globe in Josef’s collection is one with a miniature figure of the Eiffel Tower inside that was produced in 1889 in Paris.
Josef even has a snow globe depicting his own house and another he had specially made to commemorate the 10,000th addition to his collection.
Despite loving snow globes so much, Josef isn’t a massive fan of the cold.
Josef with the snow globe of his own home
Emma said: “Ironically, Josef’s favourite weather is sun, but he does explain that they don’t get much snow here in Nuremberg, so the most snow he sees is in his snow globes.”
Josef’s home is filled with snow globes from all around the world, and says he doesn’t have a lot of room left to let his collection keep growing.
Emma said: “Josef is running out of space and he reckons the maximum amount of snow globes he can fit in his house is 12,000, so there’s not that many left to collect.”
The basement of his home is essentially a snow globe museum, and it always goes down a treat with visitors.
Josef said people are always surprised when they enter his home for the first time, even if they know he has a collection, they’re never expecting it to be as big as it is.
He added that after leaving his home, people begin to notice snow globes everywhere they go.
When asked if he thinks snow globes capture the magic of Christmas, Josef said: “The snow inside a snow globe perfectly represents Christmas and that’s why you can’t go to a Christmas market and not see snow globes.”
But of course for Josef, snow globes are for life, not just for Christmas, and he’s so proud of his collection.
Emma said: “Josef feels an immense sense of pride in being a Guinness World Records title holder because he loves being recognized for this huge passion in his life.”
We’re proud to have Josef and his snow globes in the Guinness World Records family.