At Christmas and End of Year, many streets and houses are decorated and brightened for the occasion. Many cities and public squares are particularly popular for their Christmas lights. The chandeliers of the Wiener Graben, a famous street in the centre of Vienna not far from St Stephen's Cathedral, are also very popular for photos. After 19 years in use, they had to be replaced this year.
Lighting specialist MK Illumination took on the task. The Austrian company designs illuminations all over the world, from New York to Shanghai. Whether it is a fairground, a cultural festival, a shopping street or an airport, the lighting concept is always adapted to the local conditions. At MK Illumination, planning, design and deployment are handled by a single service provider. The technology is also state-of-the-art: for the chandeliers in Vienna, low-carbon aluminium was used for the first time, which means 75% less CO2 emissions.
Chandeliers never seem to go out of fashion. Europe's largest chandelier hangs in Zurich station and was also designed by MK Illumination. It is 7 metres high, has a diameter of 6 metres and weighs about 1,800 kilos. About 600 light strings hang from 25,000 patented LEDs, all of which can be individually controlled and programmed.
The range of pre-programmed effects varies from classic light showers to multi-coloured light effects. The fact that visitors to the station can control the light show themselves via a touchscreen adds to the magic of this installation.
