Discovering Seiffen: A Village Where Christmas Takes No Holiday
Germany’s Christmas Craft Capital
Story and Photos by John Penisten
The Christmas season lives the year around in the mountains of eastern Germany. And to experience Germany’s unique Christmas traditions, one need look no further than the small village of Seiffen. Nestled in the Erzgebirge Mountains near the border with the Czech Republic, Seiffen is the Christmas craft capital of Germany.
A Village Christmas Tradition
The area has a history as a woodworking and wood carving center dating back to the late 1800s, and the quiet mountain village feels as if it celebrates Christmas every day of the year. With the village economy based on the numerous Christmas craft and toy factories and shops, it is no wonder that Christmas is celebrated every day.
A Mountain Wood Carving Center
Seiffen is situated in a valley surrounded by forested hills, with most of the town located along the Hauptstrasse (main street).
The town’s side streets and lanes meander up and down the surrounding hills. However, everything is within easy walking distance within the small town.
The area was once a mining center, but residents turned to wood carving when the tin ore declined in the 1800s. Seiffen soon became noted for its unique handmade toys and Christmas crafts.
Discovering Seiffen on Foot
Through the generations, Seiffen woodcrafters became masters of their art producing a line of nutcrackers, smokers, candle arches (schwibbogen) and candle pyramids, as well as numerous varied Christmas tree ornaments and specialty holiday products.
In early December, snow may be on the ground, but the village is easy to explore. Regardless of the season, Seiffen is a joy to discover on foot.
A map of the town from the Seiffen tourism office helps locate the Christmas craft shops and factories throughout the village. Side streets and lanes branch off from the Hauptstrasse main street and it’s easy to find one’s way.
Mulled Wine and Bratwurst
The pre-Christmas Advent season is an especially delightful time to visit Seiffen. The town’s own open-air Christmas market sets the tone for the festive season.
The market features numerous booths along the main street selling all manner of local Christmas crafts, a warm mug of mulled wine (gluhwein), savory grilled German bratwurst sausages, plus roasted chestnuts and almonds — all of which lend a distinct holiday aroma to the air.
There are also booths with the hearty holiday stollen fruit bread (like fruit cake), and the always popular holiday treat, genuine German lebkuchen (gingerbread).
Christmas Shops and Factories
The main attractions in Seiffen are the Christmas toy and ornament shops and factories. There are literally dozens of shops and factories, some small and tucked away back off the main street.
Others are more prominent and feature a workshop or factory as part of the facility. Many of the workshops allow visitors to view artisans at work on Christmas ornaments, toys, nutcrackers, and other handicrafts. It all adds to the color and excitement of being in Germany’s Christmas toy capital.
Christmas Shoppers by the Busload
During the four-week Advent season leading up to Christmas, Seiffen is a beehive of activity. This is without doubt the busiest time of the year for the small town. Numerous tour busses arrive daily, bringing loads of eager Christmas craft shoppers from all over. With its limited hotel accommodations, many visitors are forced to make day trips to Seiffen, finding lodging in other nearby cities and towns. Seiffen’s modest hotel lodgings are at a premium during this season.
Visitors hustle along the narrow streets and lanes taking in as many shops and sites as possible in the time allotted for their stop. Many are laden with shopping bags and boxes holding Christmas nutcracker figurines, candle arches (schwibbogen), candle pyramids and other handicraft treasures.
Among the many popular shops and factories in Seiffen are those of Richard Glasser, Wolfgang Glockner, Christian Ulbricht, Dregeno Seiffen, Seiffener Pyramidenhaus, and Spielzeugland. Most shops are open daily during the Advent/Christmas season and many shops provide overseas shipping services for purchases.
Seiffen’s Other Attractions
There are other sites in Seiffen worth seeing as well. Among the important landmarks are the octagon-shaped baroque-styled Bergkirche Seiffen or Round Church built in 1779. The handsome church is located just above the center of town, next door to the town hall Rathaus.
Another must-see is the Erzgebirgisches Spielzeugmuseum, or toy museum (73 Hauptstrasse, Tel: 037362–8239, or www.spielzeugmuseum-seiffen.de) in the center of town. Here visitors can see the origins of Seiffen’s centuries-old folk arts and woodwork customs. There are over 5,000 exhibit pieces and displays providing background on Seiffen and the Erzgebirge’s Christmas art traditions.
Winter in Seiffen also provides outdoor activities such as ice skating, snowboarding, tobogganing, cross-country ski trails, a ski lift and downhill slopes for ski enthusiasts. The warmer seasons bring more outdoor activities plus hiking and biking on area mountain trails, horse and carriage rides, plus a narrated small “train” shuttle tour of Seiffen. In summer, the Freilichtmuseum displays and promotes the traditional work of the toy maker, woodcrafter and other artisans.
Seiffen’s Holiday Attraction
But it’s during the Christmas holiday season that Seiffen takes on a magical aura and becomes a child’s Christmas fantasyland. It truly brings out the child in all. Everyone who loves Christmas should be so lucky to experience the special wonder, excitement, and magic of the season in Seiffen, Germany’s Christmas craft capital.
If You Go
Seiffen is about 30 miles east of the city of Chemnitz in eastern Germany and an hour’s train ride south of Dresden. Seiffen is easily reached by car or bus directly or by local train from Chemnitz to the nearby town of Olbernhau and then a local bus the final five miles. Seiffen doesn’t have a train station, but busses provide an easy connection.
While it’s a little off the beaten track, visiting Seiffen is no problem and independent arrangements are easily made via the internet. The Tourist Information Seiffen website (www.seiffen.de, E-mail: info@touristinfo-seiffen.de, or: 73 Hauptstrasse, 09548 Seiffen, Germany; Tel 49–37362–8438, Fax 49–37362–76715) is helpful in providing information, links and contacts for hotels and more.
The Seiffener Hof Hotel (https://www.seiffener-hof.de, Email: info@seiffener-hof.de; or 31 Hauptstrasse, 09548 Seiffen, Germany; Tel 49–0–37362–130, Fax 49–0–37362–1313) is a clean comfortable 25-room hotel. It features bright spacious rooms with nice furnishings, TV and full bathrooms. The hotel is located just two blocks from the town center and convenient to all other attractions, restaurants, Christmas shops and factories. The house restaurant serves a very satisfying buffet breakfast (included in room rate) and offers a lunch and dinner menu of authentic local Erzgebirge cuisine. The hotel also offers shuttle service to/from the rail station at Olbernhau. Highly recommended.
At the back of the Seiffener Hof is the hotel’s own “Handwerksschau” factory where one can watch Christmas crafts such as nutcrackers, smokers, and other handicrafts being produced. Crafts can be purchased, and shipping is available.
Hotel Erbgericht Buntes Haus (https://www.buntes-haus.com, Email buntes-haus@erzgebirgshotels.de: 94 Hauptstrasse, 09548 Seiffen, Germany; Tel 49–0–37362–7760, Fax 49–0–37362–77660) is located in the center of Seiffen town and very convenient to all the Christmas craft shops and attractions. It is a well-kept comfortable hotel and its popular dining room, Restaurant Buntes Haus, features a menu of local Erzgebirge specialties. The 44 guestrooms are modern, bright and have local festive décor with TV and full baths (breakfast buffet included with room). The hotel has a long history as an inn, dating back to its origins in the 1300s. It is one of Seiffen’s nicest lodgings. Highly recommended.
A previous version of this story appeared in International Travel News.
Other Germany Christmas Market stories:
About the Writer
John Penisten is a photojournalist and longtime resident of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i. He has authored the guidebooks Hawai’i the Big Island, Kaua’i the Garden Island, Adventure Guide to Hawai’i, and Experience the Big Island: The Road to Adventure. His personal adventure book Green Hills and Blue Lagoons: A Peace Corps Memoir covers his travels and experiences as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Fiji Islands, South Pacific. His travel stories and photos have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.
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