With their playful charm, handmade toys, figures and wooden and textile works of art from the Erzgebirge have proven themselves against numerousandere Dekotrendsignored over all these years. The handicrafts from the Ore Mountains have made not only the region itself, but also its residents known beyond the borders with their extraordinary craftsmanship.
ToFolk art from the Erzgebirgeinclude several craft techniques typical of the region. Tire turning enables the production of a large number of decorative pieces, with each piece being processed individually. Chip setting requires a lot of skill, strength and sensitivity, which the local artisans develop over the years. In the Erzgebirge, carving and craftsmanship seem to run in the blood. So it is not surprising that carving is a leisure activity and is practiced in many clubs. Thus, the custom remains in people's mental memory and is passed on from one generation to another.
Chainsaw carving is an unusual carving variant. This requires a lot of skill and imagination. If both are available, detailed, often meter-high figures are created from tree trunks using various chainsaws.
Handicrafts from the Erzgebirge: The Christmas pyramid
As soon as Advent begins, people feel things in boxes and boxes. It is not uncommon for a Christmas pyramid to appear. Because it's not just in the Erzgebirge at Christmas that Christmas pyramids light up, glitter and spin, powered by the warmth of candles. Wooden figures made with patience and love can be found on the rotating plates. Sometimes the pyramids are even multi-story. These carousel-like large pyramids, which are built in almost every town in the Ore Mountains, are particularly impressive. So it's no surprise that their radiance also brightens up a large number of national and international Christmas markets. In many places, pushing the pyramids heralds the start of the Christmas season.
Folk art from the Erzgebirge: angel and miner
The Ore Mountains have a long mining tradition. So it is not surprising that this legacy can also be found in the Erzgebirge arts and crafts. Miner and angel figures represent the miners' connection to the light and God's blessing for family and work. Throughout the Christmas season, the duo decorates numerous rooms and windows in the Erzgebirge region. In the past, the family relationships could be seen from the characters. A miner was placed in the window for every boy and an angel for every girl.
Handicrafts from the Erzgebirge region: smokers
The most important time for smokers begins at Christmas time. Inside, the small wooden “Raachermanneln” are hollow so that an incense candle can be placed in them and lit. Within a very short time, the little man puffs out of his mouth and no longer just spreads the scent of incense throughout the room. In times past, the figures often depicted Erzgebirge professions. The smokers are no longer quite as traditional today. It's not uncommon to find rock stars or computer nerds and even comic heroes among them.
Decorative figures with a special charm: Nutcrackers
In the second half of the 19th century, the first Erzgebirge nutcracker was made in Seifen. He gained worldwide fame through the Christmas story “Nutcracker and Mouse King” by ETA Hoffmann. But Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet “The Nutcracker” also contributed to his fame. Not only in times past did nutcrackers represent kings, foresters, hussars and gendarmes. In the Nutcracker Museum in Neuhausen you can admire countless nutcrackers, including the world's largest nutcracker.
Erzgebirge folk art: Candle arches are true classics
Candle arches have an incredibly long tradition in Erzgebirge folk art. The oldest,made of ironThe forged candle arch is from 1740. The motif of the arch of lights represents a paradise scene between Adam and Eve. The sky with lights and angels rises above the two. In earlier times the number of candle arches was rare. Most of the bows came from Johanngeorgenstadt. In the middle of the 20th century, the candle arch experienced a real boom. Suddenly it was available in a wide variety of sizes, motifs and materials. With its mostly mining motifs, it has become an Erzgebirge export hit. In the run-up to Christmas it doesn't just make the Erzgebirge windows shine.
