Best European Globemakers
by Mark Jeffery, globemaker at goodwoodglobes
It seems to have been the Greeks who first thought of making a globe of the Earth, probably in the 4th century BC. It was the Germans who revived the art of globemaking in the 15th and 16th centuries, followed by the Dutch, the French and the Italians.
Europe has the longest history of globemaking of any continent. Here are some of the best European globemakers keeping the tradition alive today.
Cosmic Globes
Cosmic Globes has made globes in Greece since 1951. Michael Koimtzis, the third-generation globemaker, has revived the handmaking of globes at the company, producing some unique designs.
Prices: €15 – €170 (around $20 – $200)
Columbus Globes
Columbus is the only globemaker in the world to offer globes made of mouth-blown crystal glass spheres! For those with children or pets, they also offer less fragile acrylic globes.
Founded in 1909 by Paul Oestergaard in Berlin, Germany, the family firm has a long history of hand-crafting globes. Their globes are available in the US from columbusglobes.com.
Prices: $39.95 – $16,950
Zoffoli
Based in Florence, Italy, Zoffoli have been hand-making globes since 1949.
Specializing in bar and trolley globes, Zoffoli are proud to continue the Florentine artisan tradition.
Prices: €129 – €2,684 (around $150 – $3,000)
Stellanova
German globemakers Stellanova produce a variety of innovative globes, including their amazing levitating globes.
Their globes are available in the US through resellers such as Target.
Prices: various
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