> At a Glance
> – Josef Kardinal from Nuremberg, Germany owns 11,000 snow globes, the largest collection in the world
> – He first set the Guinness World Record in 2002 with 6,100 globes
> – His collection includes a 1889 Paris scene, a life-size lamppost, and COVID-19 themed pieces
> – Why it matters: Kardinal’s snow globe obsession turned into a world record and a basement museum that attracts global attention
Josef Kardinal’s basement in Nuremberg isn’t just storage-it’s a winter wonderland packed with 11,000 snow globes, earning him the Guinness World Record for the largest collection. What started as a single gift in 1984 has snowballed into a lifelong obsession.
From One Globe to 11,000
Kardinal received his first snow globe in 1984. Friends kept gifting them, and soon he began buying them himself. By 2002, he had 6,100 globes-enough to claim his first Guinness record. Today, that number has nearly doubled.
> “I love the romance of snow globes and how beautiful they are when you shake them up and the snow falls down.”
> – Josef Kardinal
He believes people are drawn to snow globes because they encapsulate a perfect, unrealistic world-a tiny, peaceful scene you can hold in your hand.
A Globe for Every Theme
Kardinal’s collection is organized by theme, turning his basement into a personal museum. Shelves are lined with globes spanning pop culture, history, and fantasy.
Notable pieces include:
- A Santa Claus helicopter with lights and spinning blades
- A Harley-Davidson globe that plays engine sounds
- A Taylor Swift-themed globe referencing her 2024 album
- A Titanic scene with a sinking ship and iceberg
- A Coca-Cola telephone that actually rings
He also owns:
- The smallest globe: a fingernail-sized pin
- The oldest globe: a Paris Eiffel Tower scene from 1889
- The largest: a life-size lamppost
Running Out of Space
Kardinal and his wife Emma have traveled the world hunting for new additions. When he hit 10,000 globes, a German maker created a custom globe with his photo inside. Another features his own house.
But there’s a limit. Emma says:
> “Josef is running out of space… he reckons the maximum amount he can fit is 12,000.”
Ironically, Kardinal doesn’t like cold weather. His favorite conditions? Sunshine. Most of the “snow” he sees is inside his globes.
Key Takeaways
- Kardinal’s collection began with one gift in 1984
- He now owns 11,000 globes, the world’s largest collection
- His basement is a themed museum with globes from unicorns to Star Wars
- He’s 1,000 globes away from maxing out his home’s capacity
Despite the space crunch, Kardinal’s passion shows no signs of melting.
