The traditional nutcracker is definitely the most world-famous representative of the Erzgebirge Volkskunst and, to many people, the image of the nutcracker is the one that truly symbolises Christmas time. These often grim and hard-faced little fellows in their shiny, bright-coloured fantasy uniforms, with an ideal height of around 35cm, have been enchanting old and young alike since the 1860s.
This image of the nutcracker originated from the former environment and lifestyles of the residents of the Erzgebirge, who, after the closure of the Erzgebirge ore mines, had to contend with money troubles and an adverse authority. Strict tax collectors, rangers, gendarme and the courts then made this impoverishment even more difficult for the people to deal with. At Christmas time, resourceful craftsmen began to make wooden effigies of these hated law-enforcers in the form of the nutcracker figurine. They decorated these fierce, wooden fellows fancifully and let them crack the metaphorical 'hard nut' of daily life.
The Erzgebirge nutcracker has retained the same figure, even if newer and more modern styles are now available as well. Today, even politicians and other famous personalities can occasionally be found in nutcracker-form biting the 'hard nut'!
The nutcrackers for sale at Herrmann Geschenke are still handcrafted in Saxon's Erzgebirge today. The creation of a nutcracker involves over 130 working steps and the decorative details are also finished completely by hand.
At Herrmann Geschenke, we currently stock around 150 different models of nutcracker, in various sizes and with different prices. Themed nutcrackers are also available. All of our nutcrackers have a mark of quality for traditional "Volkskunst".
Herrmann Geschenke GmbH
Neuhauserstrasse 2
80331 Munich
Fon: +49 (0) 89 / 22 93 08
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 29 16 86 45
info@herrmann-geschenke.de
