Journeys and Jottings

Issue 64 - Germany calls . Meanwhile here is a story of a little toy town called Seiffen nestled right up in the Ore Erzgebirge Mountains where you can meet The Journeyman

Hello,

In a few hours, I will be boarding a flight to Munich and then onwards to Dresden. But my destination is another quaint town called Bautzen in Saxony and I will be exploring the Upper Lusatia Region. I will be in Germany for another ten days as am headed to Chemnitz as well. If any of you are in Germany or travelling around Saxony, do send me a direct message, and would love to catch up or connect. And if any of you have been to these towns, do comment with your tips and recommendations as well as what I must not miss in these towns.

While I will come back and share more stories, here is the story of a charming toy town for you, with little stories where you can meet The Nutcracker, The Smoking Man, and my personal favorite - The Journeyman or the Knappenfiguren.

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The German Toy Story - Seiffen

It was drizzling as we drove from Dresden towards the Ore or Erzgebirge Mountains in the Saxony state of Germany. Our destination was a small little village Seiffen, one of Germany’s best-known secrets that was once home to the miners. A quaint toy museum here tells the story of these miners who became toy makers more than 200 years ago. Laced with traditions and folklore, almost every toy here tells a story, one that revolves around the life of their lives.

We stopped by a small village on the way for a cup of coffee. A cluster of houses stood out in the verdant greenery. Carpets of snow were scattered around. The bare branches of the trees were kissed with snowflakes. But I was drawn towards the homes. The windows looked interesting with gaunt men with big moustaches gazing at us. And then there were pretty wooden arches with carvings that seemed to look like decorative candle holders. “That is called the Schwiboggen, “ explained our guide, Seema Prakash.” When the miners returned home in the cold dreary night, the sight of a brightly lit Schwiboggen on these windows cheered them up, welcoming them home,”

We journeyed on and the roads were wrapped in a white world. Small houses painted in hues of yellow and orange peeped out of the trees. I felt like I was getting transported to a fairy tale land. The miners started making toys as a hobby, mainly for their children but it soon turned into a profession when the tin and silver deposits declined in the mountains. There was plenty of wood in the area and the miners learnt the craft of turning wood to make utensils which eventually led to creating toys. As the mines were formally closed, one tradition closed and another began.

We reached the town to see the same mustachioed man towering over us. Grim and overbearing, he is what they call a nutcracker, one of the signature toys created by these miners. Designed as a grim soldier, it brought out their sense of humor. The miners were mocking the men of authority by caricaturing them. 

The entire town was wrapped in a coat of mist as we walked towards the toy museum where we were lost in the atmospheric old world charm. There was music flowing through the rooms as pretty dollhouses beckoned us. The entire room was filled with pyramids, chandeliers, carousels, candle sticks and candle stands, Noah’s arks, horses, and wagons – all taking you into a bygone era.

And then there were folky people, men, and women inspired by the lives of miners, each one telling their own story. In a little corner was a world of miniatures that showcased pretty vignettes from their lives. Standing there, I was transported into a cold dreary world of the miners, which was harsh, and yet their creative minds, their sense of humor, their dreams and hopes, their living traditions – all got translated into a world of kaleidoscopic world of toys.

I was introduced to the miner himself designed as a journeyman, a carrier of light called the Knappenfiguren and he is often accompanied by the angel of light standing by him. But my favorite is the smoking man, called Rauchermann who smokes his pipe casually. You can see the many faces of the smoking man – from being a traditional folk man to a snowman or a biker, oozing attitude.

But then there was an entire world of miniatures that depicted the life of the miners - their lifestyles, their traditions all carved inside a little matchbox. We could see their little world in a box – a living room, a family sitting for dinner, the miners walking home in the dark with their lights, a cold dreary night with brightly lit Schwiboggen – it was almost like they had left little details of their life behind through their toys.

As we left the museum, the bells from the ancient century church beckoned us. I walked around the town aimlessly lured by the shops. A pair of nutcrackers and a smoking man greeted us everywhere. Warming myself with a gluhwein, I bid goodbye to the miner, who is indeed the journeyman as the angel of light lit the path

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