The nutcracker as a strapping hussar or king is one of the classic figures of Erzgebirge folk art. It actually fulfills its function - even if it doesn't turn into an irresistibly handsome prince like in Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet. This nutcracker can be used to crack nuts up to the size of hazelnuts. It looks even better as a traditional Christmas decoration, not least thanks to its careful manufacture from maple, beech and lime wood.

Made in the manufactory Erzgebirgische Volkskunst Richard Glässer, which was founded in 1932. The traditional Seiffen figurines, which are based on the characteristic turned shapes, are mainly handcrafted here. Numerous work steps are necessary until the local wood - exclusively from certified forestry - has taken on its final form.

The fact that a famous wood art developed in the originally densely forested Erzgebirge is not only explained by the availability of the material. As a branch of industry, handicrafts became all the more important as the local mining industry rapidly lost resources and profitability. Folk art slipped into this gap, which mining - no less than Christmas - still shaped with numerous motifs. A center of wood art emerged around Seiffen, where one of the first specialized trade schools was founded in 1853 to promote handicrafts. In the so-called Toy Corner, small and large craft businesses still produce the classics of the folk art of the Erzgebirge: from hoop animals and smoking men to miner figures and nutcrackers to candle arches and wing pyramids.