See the nutcrackers in Seiffen, Germany

Wooden huts in Seiffen Germany (Kristen Thoennes)

If you have lived in Germany during the Christmas season, you have seen the pyramids, nutcrackers and smoking men. But do you know where these items originated? Seiffen is a small German town near the Czechia border. After learning about it from the Stuttgart Community Spouses’ Club, my husband and I decided to take a trip for one three-day weekend.

But how did Seiffen become the home of Germany’s beloved wooden decor and toys? The locals, back in the day, were miners. After the mines closed, they had to find new ways to make a living. Their skills translated well into woodworking and thus the wooden decor and toy industry flourished.

I did not really know what to expect for our visit. It’s a small town without a lot of tourist information. I had seen some pictures from friends who had been, so I had a little bit of an idea but experiencing it in person was totally different in the best way!

Throughout the town, you can find these beautiful lights showing popular Seiffen motifs. This one shows the angel motif.

View of decorative lanterns in Seiffen Germany (Charles Thoennes)

We brought our greyhound Suzie along with us on the trip. Because of Suzie, we ended up on some walks we might not have taken otherwise. Walking around the town was a peaceful time to recover from all our shopping adventures.

We stayed in one of the apartments at the Spielzeughof. The location was perfect as it was just up a hill from the main street with all the shops and restaurants. This little nutcracker lives in the apartment and was a nice piece of Seiffen to admire during our stay.

Wooden nutcracker in hotel room in Seiffen, Germany (Kristen Thoennes)

Every European city has a church and this is Seiffen’s. You can purchase arches, pyramids and more that feature this town landmark.

Seiffen, Germany landmark yellow church (Charles Thoennes)

On the main street, we saw lots of little huts serving anything from Glühwein, snacks and wooden decor pieces. One grouping was outside of Holzwurm, the restaurant where we had dinner one night. It was especially cute in the evening with the stars and string lights on. Our dinner was delicious, so I highly recommend making a reservation when you are in town. If you want to be really fancy, there is a nearby castle that has been converted into a hotel. I have heard it is a very nice place to stay. You can check it out here.

Seiffen is also the first place I experienced Glühwein! Glühwein is a hot, mulled wine drink and can come in a variety of flavors. My very first mug of Glühwein was white wine with Amaretto. That remains my favorite type of Glühwein.

Nestled amongst the shops and restaurants in town were large versions of the many pieces you can buy in the stores. This one shows an angel and a miner. These were popular back in the day and you can still find them in the windows of the local homes. In the background of this picture, you can also see a couple in the top left. They move closer and closer until they kiss. When they do, there is a kissing sound that plays!

Giant Angel and Miner in Seiffen, Germany (Charles Thoennes)

We spent our first day in town visiting lots of shops (and there are LOTS of shops).

Pro tip: Take pictures of pieces you like and make a list of your top priorities, so you don’t blow your budget.

We did this on our first day. The next day, we went back to the shops to make our purchases. When we were planning our trip, I was worried that a three-day weekend was going to be too long, but it was perfect as we were not rushed to make our purchase decisions and had plenty of time to visit as many shops as our hearts desired.

Suzie the greyhound in a field in Seiffen, Germany (Charles Thoennes)

Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.

Kristen Thoennes